Protection
by WindBeneathMyWings0000
Summary: Danny is relying on Vlad to protect him from the Guys In White. The problem is, Vlad has to protect himself as well. If they are caught, they will lose the other half to their lives. Will Vlad succeed, or will something big happen? Danny/ Vlad Father/ Son. T because I'm paranoid. Sorry for the suckish summary.
1. Fruitloops

**A/N: OK, so this definitely isn't my usual type of story, but I couldn't resist. It was one of those ideas that you are inspired to write for whatever crazy reason. Oddly, this idea came to me while watching a German Shepherd puppy play with a wolf on YouTube. (German Shepherds are the best). So somehow that led to this story. I don't own Danny Phantom characters or Danny Phantom. If I did, the show would still be on and probably have not been a kid's show. R/R!**

Danny's POV

Green light filled the night air as I shot an ectoblast at Ember. The light was faded, considering the fact that I, after fighting two ghosts beforehand, was tired. No, saying I was tired is an understatement. I was exhausted and in excruciating pain from the many hits I had taken all night. I was bruised and beaten, but I fought on.

Ember easily dodged my attack, and plucked a chord on her guitar.

"Let's turn up the volume!" She said and sent a glowing green fist my way from her guitar. It was the size of my whole body, proving hat she had a lot more energy than I did. I put my hands in front of my head to shield it from the hit. It did little to stop the whiplash I got when I was hit and thrown to the hard earth below. I heard Sam yell my name, but it was muffled and unfocused. I opened my eyes and got up, knowing Ember would retaliate very quickly.

"What's the matter, Dipstick? Did you get a boo-boo?" Ember patronized, folding her hands and faking a pout when she asked if I was hurt. I flew back into the air so I wouldn't have to strain my neck and look up at her.

"Actually," I said, charging an ectoball between my hands, "I was just about to ask you that." Using whatever energy I had left, I shot the ball at her, hitting her in the chest. She tumbled to the ground and I immediately got out the thermos.

"Wait, how can I become famous if you keep putting me back into the Ghost Zone?" Ember asked pathetically as I stood over her, thermos already glowing white.

"You wanna know about fame, Ember? You can't just show up and expect it. You have to work for it, just like you have to work for everything else. Brainwashing people doesn't make you famous. It makes you lazy." I said before sucking her in, taking note of her gaping mouth as she was trapped. I capped the thermos just as Sam ran up to me.

"Nice job, Danny." She congratulated, smiling, and patted my back. I winced and she immediately apologized.

"Where's Tuck?" I asked, rubbing my neck.

"He went home. He said he had to be home by ten thirty or he'd be grounded for life." Sam answered, looking toward the ground. "I think I'm gonna go home too. It's getting late, and we have school tomorrow." She added.

"Want me to walk you home?" I asked, expertly hiding my disappointment at having to do this by myself again.

"No, that's fine. Danny...please be careful. You're getting hurt out there, and I don't want to see you get, well, _too_ hurt. Sam said sheepishly, looking into my eyes.

"Don't worry, Sam. I'm fine. I'm going to do one last lap around the city and call it a night myself, OK?" I replied. I knew there would still be ghosts to fight, but maybe I could convince her there wouldn't be.

"We've been doing this for two years, Danny. I'm no fool. You're going to go looking for a fight. Just promise me you'll be OK." Sam said, using her amethyst colored eyes to ensure I'd reply the way she wanted me to.

"I promise. Now go home." I told her before kissing her to seal the deal.

"OK. Goodnight, Phantom." She said as she walked away.

"Goodnight, Miss." I replied, saluting her and smiling. Keeping up my Phantom persona around her was a joke. We did it just to laugh and ease the tension now. I chuckled to myself once more before turning around, only to see Plasmius floating behind me.

"Vlad!" I said stupidly, in complete shock. How had he gotten there without me knowing? Oh, wait, he's Vlad. He can do anything. But...how much did he see and hear? I don't want him using Sam against me. It is exactly the kind of thing he would do.

"What an amazing vocabulary, Daniel. Really, I'm impressed. I never would have thought to say someone's name in a time of surprise." He exclaimed very sarcastically. Vlad floated with his hands folded behind his back. He was at complete ease, not seeing me as a threat in any way. This made me angry. He was so stuck up, it was unbelievable. I wish I could wipe that smirk off of his face.

"What do you want, Plasmius?" I asked with as much venom as I could muster. I got myself into my typical battle stance and charged a last around my clenched fists. I will never let my guard down around Vlad.

"Well, Daniel, seeing as you are so prominently ready for battle, perhaps I should wait to tell you until you've calmed down some, hmm?" Vlad said, mockingly. I sighed out of annoyance at the fact he wanted me to withdraw the attack I had on standby. I groaned outwardly at having to beat down every instinct to stay on guard and absorbed the energy back into my hands.

"All right, Vlad. Now what do you want?" I asked for the second time, still in my battle stance.

"Nothing, but I do want to warn you. The Guys In White are searching this area for ghosts so they can do asinine experiments on them." Vlad said, sounding bored.

"Great," I said, crossing my arms and rolling my eyes, "what else is new?"

"These experiments aren't what you think, Daniel. They're not testing a new weapon or anything like that. They are testing DNA, doing biological experiments. The only reason I'm not worried is because I'm not so conspicuous when I decide to 'go ghost'." Vlad said, now mocking my battle cry. Is there a limit to what he'll do?

"Thanks for the heads up, Plasmius, but I can take care of myself." I said and attempted to fly away. Vlad grabbed my wrist before I could leave and was holding me on the spot. Whenever I went intangible, he did as well, so I couldn't escape. "Let go of me!" I said as I tried to pry his fingers off my wrist. This only resulted in him tightening his grip.

"This is more serious than you think, Little Badger. Normally, I wouldn't tell you because the Guys In White are no threat to either of us. But they're looking for us specifically, and my moles in the Guys In White tell me they have the equipment they need to contain us. If captured, even I wouldn't be able to escape. That is why I am not leaving you alone. You're coming back to my mansion with me, where it is safe. Now since I know you won't come quietly..." I saw Vlad try to stealthily pull a needle full of who knows what out from his cape.

"Get the hell away from me!" I yelled, trying to fly as fast as I could away from Vlad. When I turned back around, he was gone. I knew he teleported, the question now was where? My ghost sense told me in front of me. I turned my head back around just in time to see him stick the needle in my arm.

"Vlad, wait, don't do this!" I said before he could push on the plunger. He raised an eyebrow at me. "I'll go with you. Willingly. You don't have to knock me out."

"Vlad nodded and said, "Very well, Daniel. Just know I have the syringe. I suggest you don't go back on your promise."

"Whatever, Fruitloop." I cleverly retorted as he took the needle out of my skin.

"Come with me, Daniel." Vlad said, kindly. He was gentle when he said it, which is really odd. Is he worried? Scared? Impossible. Vlad doesn't have any other emotion besides anger. But, then, what's wrong?

"Vlad, which house are we going to?" I asked as we flew, putting my thoughts of him aside.

"Mansion, Daniel. Mansion." I rolled my eyes. "And we are going to my castle in Wisconsin. It'll be much safer there than my mansion in Amity Park."

"You were going to carry me all the way to Wisconsin?" I asked, again in shock. And Vlad says _I'm_ dimwitted.

"No, you would've woken up about five minutes later. But by that time, we would've been far away from Amity, and you would have had no choice but to follow me, considering your amazing skills with direction." Vlad replied with a smirk. He was right. I wouldn't have known my way back to Amity. I sighed. I was willingly going with a kidnapper.

"At least tell me how long the trip will be." I all but pleaded.

"For me alone, two minutes. I could just teleport. Since you refuse to let me train you, it'll take about a day." Vlad answered. I began to wonder if he could say anything without bragging or mocking me. I sighed again. A day of doing nothing but flying with Vlad. How am I supposed to stay as Phantom that long?

"But Vlad-" I began to try to explain.

"We will have periodic breaks, Daniel. I have money to stay at a hotel tonight. I know you aren't powerful enough to maintain your ghost form that long." Vlad interrupted, practically reading my mind. He probably did. I sighed yet again. There was nothing I could do. I was stuck with Vlad, and depending on him for protection from the Guys In White. As we flew over some small hills under a full moon, there was only one thing on my mind:

Life was about to get very complicated.


	2. False Sense Of Security (Stupid Views)

**A/N: I want to thank everyone for all the great reviews and follows! I didn't think the story would get that much attention! Thank you so much! OK, so, with that being said, I hope I don't disappoint you guys. And sorry for all the typing errors. I write everything on my Kindle Fire first, then re-type it on the cp. I can't copy and paste. It's pretty rare when I get my hands on a cp, so updates will come randomly. I'll stop rambling now, so on with the story!**

Danny's POV

Three hours. We have been flying for three hours. I was tired to begin with, and now I think I'm going to pass out in mid air. Every time I asked Vlad if we could stop, he would say no, and then nothing more. To make matters worse, I hadn't eaten since lunch at school, over twelve hours ago. I also had to answer nature's call pretty badly.

I sighed. Typical Fruitloop. It's like he wants me to pass out. He wants to be able to carry me like a little kid. The thought sent shivers down my spine. He can keep all that to himself. He is not my dad, and he never will be.

I shook my head, trying to scramble those thoughts around my brain so I wouldn't think them again. I looked down. I have to admit, it's a pretty beautiful flight. The long green grass on the hills below us swayed back and forth in the wind. The full moon's light shines down, giving us plenty of light to see. That's probably why Vlad chose to wait until tonight, when the moon was full. In front of us, we'll be flying over a forest soon.

I looked over at Vlad. He was on my left, matching my speed. It must have been difficult for him to fly slow, but I couldn't care less. He won't let me rest, so this is what he gets. But something looked off about him. He seemed like he was listening for something. Like he was intently studying his surroundings for anything unusual.

My thoughts began to wander to my friends and family. How would hey react when they got up in the morning and I wasn't there? What would Sam do? She would think I was beaten and bloody somewhere in Amity. Then when she couldn't find me, she'd think of Valerie. But when she asks if Valerie has seen Phantom, she'd say no. By this point, Sam would start to panic. Her last option would be that I was kidnapped, and then she'd finally be right. But there's no way for her to help me, which means that-

"Daniel, look out!" Vlad shouted before he tackled me to the ground. He rolled us over in mid air, so he landed first, and I landed on top of him. I propped myself up with both arms and gave him a glare. He knew I was tired and weak. Why would he do this? Just as I thought this, a shot flew past us overhead. It was bigger than Vlad, and I immediately cringed. Vlad just saved my life. Realizing that Vlad hadn't been lying, I grabbed his jumpsuit tightly and stared into the sky, looking for the Guys In White.

"Dear boy, as much as I love the fact you want to hold on to me, you must get up so I can take care of this." I smirked at Vlad, but did what he said. I stood up and he flew a few feet above me.

"Stay here and turn invisible. If things get hazardous, make for the forest and I'll find you later." Vlad told me. There was something in his voice, as if he was daring me to argue. Of course I would.

"But Vl-" I began, but never finished.

"I mean it, Danny. Go, before they see you." With that, Vlad flew higher into the sky, making sure to end the conversation so I couldn't contradict him again. I was not going to let Vlad tell me what to do. I know how to fight. I have been fighting for two years now. There was no way I was just going to run away like a scared child. Vlad needs to get real.

I turned invisible though, deciding that Vlad shouldn't know I would be helping him fight. He'd get mad and probably blast me to the ground just for disobeying him.

I flew u next to him, and got in my battle stance. Strangely enough, the Guys In White were no where to be seen. I found myself unconsciously moving closer to Vlad, and immediately flew about five feet away. I would not be scared. And I would not let him be my guardian.

I heard a humming noise, and looked for its source. There was still nothing to be seen. All of a sudden, there was an explosion behind us. Both Vlad and I turned around in time to see the Guys In White coming over a hill through the flames. They were riding some type of hovercraft things, and there were at least twelve of them. The scene looked like something out of a movie, with them flying over the hill. I was marveled at how they didn't get burnt.

Vlad was not mesmerized by the scene, however. He charged an ectoblast between his hands and wasted no time shooting the Guys In White. I decided to follow suit, and made an invisible ectoball of my own. It didn't take long for my body to remind me of how tired I was. I couldn't even shoot the shot. It was immediately reabsorbed and I fell to the ground, changing back to Fenton.

"Daniel!" Vlad called. It was a mixture of anger and worry. Anger, because I had disobeyed him. Worry because I fell about one hundred feet and was lying on the ground, not moving. I opened my eyes just enough to watch what Vlad was doing.

He visibly groaned at my stubbornness, the turned his attention back toward the fight. One of the agents was holding a gun with what looked like a net in it. He shot it at Vlad, hoping to capture him. Vlad blasted the net and shredded it to pieces. Another agent behind Vlad had a real gun, and blasted Vlad. Vlad fell to the ground, but immediately got back up. He looked over to me and sighed in relief that my eyes were open. He threw a shield around me, and it promptly went over me, protecting me from any shot the Guys In White might take at me. He turned his head toward an agent with a makeshift thermos, and I panicked. If that was a thermos, Vlad was screwed.

Vlad seemed to stiffen a little bit, but recollected himself. Instead, he created another ectoplasmic blast and shot it at the agent, knocking him off his bike-like hovering vehicle. Another agent shot at Vlad, but he put a shield in front of himself and the blast ricocheted off of it and back toward the agent. The agent was knocked off his hovercraft and fell to the ground, staining his white suit. Vlad smiled, then turned his attention to two agents circling him.

One of the agents had a gun and was ready to shoot. The other had a net and was ready to use it when Vlad was hurt and distracted. A cowardly way to do things, but effective nonetheless.

I decided to name these agents F and U.

Vlad didn't miss a beat and put a shield around himself. He charged up a pink electrical blast and shot it out of his forcefield toward an agent. Somehow, the agent dodged the attack. Vlad smirked, but teleported out of the safety of his shield. The agents stopped and wondered where he went. I began to wonder to, until I saw him next to me.

"Let's go, before they see us." Vlad whispered and picked me up. He turned us both invisible and we flew away. We were flying over the forest, and I realized Vlad got what he wanted. He was carrying me bridal style like a small child. Well, shit. The strange thing is...I didn't mind.

I moved around some to get more comfy, knowing I wouldn't be flying until after I slept. I closed my eyes, only to have them open right back up again when Vlad sent a small charge of electricity through me.

"What the hell did you think you were doing back there?" He asked. I couldn't decipher if he was angry or not. I think he was still more worried than anything else.

"I, uh, I-" I couldn't come up with a valid excuse other than I wanted to spite him. But after what he's done, I can't very well say that. Vlad sighed.

"Your stubbornness knows no bounds, does it Daniel?" I grunted and tried to close my eyes again. This time Vlad let me, and I slept while he flew. I felt Vlad's chest vibrate with his chuckling.

"Sleep tight, Little Badger. We'll be in the next town in about half an hour. I'll get a hotel room then." I tried to smirk at his petty nickname for me, but I was too tired. And the thought of sleeping in a bed was the only thing on my mind.


	3. The Watch

**A/N: This story is definitely writing itself. It's taking a turn I didn't expect, and now my original plan doesn't make sense. Oh well, the title just now has nothing to do with the story. Oh, and if someone knows how to post and stuff like that from a Kindle Fire, please let me know. That'll make all of this so much easier. Thanks!**

Danny's POV

My eyes opened when I realized there was sunlight hitting them. I blinked a few times to get used to the new bright surroundings. When everything stopped hurting my eyes, I looked around.

I was in a hotel room, that was a fact. But this was a hotel room like I'd never seen before. It was three times the size of a regular hotel room. The walls were made of concrete and colored solid white. They were glass in some places, and were connected by marble pillars. The floor itself was grey, black, and white granite.

My bed was big as well. It had a regal red comforter on it, and was extremely comfortable. I didn't want to get up. But I needed to. Nature can be a bitch at the worst of times.

I got up and looked for a bathroom, expecting that to be spectacular too. I wasn't disappointed. The bathtub was in a corner by itself. It looked as if it could fit ten people in it. I thought about going swimming in it later. The shower was granite as well, and had buttons to push to say what kind of soap and shampoo you wanted. I guess you control everything from the touchscreen button panel.

I found the toilet, which was way too fancy for what its intended use was, and went back to bed. I knew Vlad would want me to bathe and stuff, but I was still tired. Don't get me wrong, I wanted to bathe. this place looked pristine and expensive. I didn't want to touch anything in here. I was very aware of how much I stuck out from this high class stuff.

I got back and rolled over in bed. Right when I was comfortable and closed my eyes, the bed decided it was a ghost and turned intangible on me. I fell through it, screaming. I wasn't exactly expecting that to happen. I landed on my side, and rolled over on my back. Propping myself up on my elbows, I saw Vlad standing there with one intangible hand touching the bed. There were so many names I wanted to call him.

"It's time to get up, Daniel. In case I didn't make that clear." Vlad mocked. He was taking adding insult to injury to a whole new level. He was smiling at my still surprised face. I got out of the way of the bed so he could turn it tangible again. I stood up and dusted myself off, trying to play off my surprise. It wasn't working too well.

"You couldn't have woken me up any other way?" I said.

"Now what fun would that have been?" He said, still smiling. I groaned. I saw how Vlad was already dressed in his suit and everything. He was showered, had probably eaten, and was ready to go. I was standing in my clothes from yesterday, hungry, and had definitely not bathed.

"What time is it?" I asked, yawning and stretching.

"Six thirty." Vlad answered as if it was nothing. I gaped at him.

"Please tell me your joking." I half pleaded.

"I don't josh around, Daniel. Especially at a time like this. We've already been here longer than I'd like. We must stay incognito to avoid any potential...visitors. Now go get ready. We leave in half an hour." I sighed. As much as I hated to admit it, he was right. If we stayed in one place too long, the Guys In White could find us again. The last thing I wanted was for Vlad to have another chance at proving I needed him right now.

I went back into the bathroom and showered. After being attacked by multiple shampoos, soaps, and different water temperatures, I was finally done. I looked at the panel and saw that one of the buttons said 'dry' on it. I shrugged and pressed it, preparing for the worst. Under my feet, the floor moved to reveal a very large blowdryer. I was blasted with warm air, and it felt amazing. Sadly, it ended, and I realized I was completely dry. It was at that moment that I realized I had no clean clothes. I was about to call for Vlad, but then realized how embarrassing that would be. Back home, I would always just call my mom or dad if I forgot to bring clean clothes into the bathroom. Now that I'm a kidnap victim, that isn't exactly possible. I heard a knock on the door.

"Daniel, It's been well over half an hour. Are you done yet?" Vlad said through the door. I panicked, but I knew I had no choice. I wrapped a towel around myself and opened the door.

"I need clothes." I said, trying to hide my embarrassment. Vlad only laughed and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"I swear, Dear Boy, sometimes you're as clueless as your incompetent father. There are clothes under the counter, in the cabinets. This is a five star hotel, so your usual attire will not be acceptable. Now go get dressed. You can eat in the limo."

"We're not flying?" I asked.

"Too dangerous. Now go, the limo is waiting for us." I sighed. Did Vlad always have to have the best in life? Couldn't we just take a cab? Then again, I've never ridden in a limo before...

I shut the door and looked under the sink. Sure enough, there were clothes. I put them on, already realizing that Vlad was right again. These were definitely not my normal clothes. It was a Navy Oxford long-sleeved shirt with black dress pants, complete with black dress shoes. Somehow everything was my size. Creepy Fruitloop.

When I came out of the bathroom, Vlad was sitting on the edge of my bed, waiting and keeping watch. He smiled at me, actually looking impressed.

"I must say, Daniel, you clean up quite nicely."

"Whatever. I'm extremely uncomfortable and you want to go on a long car ride. This sucks." I complained. I don't know what I was hoping for. Maybe Vlad would break down and have my old clothes washed or something. But that would never happen. If there's one thing I'll admit we have in common, it's this: our stubbornness.

"Come now, Little Badger, it's not that bad. You do look quite handsome. Now, there's something I want to give you." Vlad said as he reached into his pocket. He pulled out a gold watch, and grabbed my wrist to put it on. When he was done, I looked at it, studied it, and wondered why. The look on my face must have tipped off my confusion.

"It's a tracking device that can only be taken off by my ecto-signiture. It's to make sure nothing can happen. To everyone, it just looks like a Rolex watch. We can never be too careful." I stood in front of him, dumbfounded. When did he have the time to make this? I mentally slapped myself. Again, he's Vlad. He can do anything. I think he already had it made though. He did come prepared with the needle...

"Uh, thanks, I guess. But don't you think that if I'm caught, the random gold watch on Phantom is the first thing to go?" I asked.

"It can't be taken off unless I take it off. And that's also why you're wearing it in your human form. It won't transfer over to Phantom. Now, let's go. We have a long day ahead of us." Vlad wrapped his arm around my shoulders and led me out the door of the room and into the elevator. I didn't want to admit how safe I felt. It's like Vlad was paying more attention to my safety than his own. That is very odd. It's so...un-Vladlike. He's selfish. He's always selfish. So...why is he doing this?

We got out of the elevator and Vlad nodded to the girl behind the check-out counter. It's not like he needs to say who he is. We got outside and I saw the limo. It was big, just the kind of gas-guzzling thing Vlad would rent. His arm was still wrapped around my shoulders when we had gotten outside, but I felt it stiffen. He didn't want to be in plain sight. He rushed me over to the limo and the driver opened the door.

"Good morning, Mr. Masters." The driver said and tipped his hat. Vlad pushed me in and answered.

"Good morning, kind sir. We will be heading to my castle in Wisconsin. I will give you the address in a moment." He said before going to the other side.

"Of course, sir." the driver said and opened the door on the other side as well. Vlad got in and settled down, visibly relaxing. The driver got in up front and Vlad told him the address. After typing it into the GPS system, we were on our way. Vlad pushed the button to separate the driver from the passengers and that panel went up. He relaxed and actually slouched in his seat, taking deep breaths.

"What's wrong, Vlad?" I asked. He was acting really strange. Vlad sighed and composed himself once more.

"There were agents all over the place. On rooftops, in the lobby of the hotel, and on the streets. I think they're on to us." He admitted.

"How could there have been agents everywhere? I didn't see any. And they don't know who we really are." I tried to reason. But something in my gut told me Vlad was right.

"That's just it, Danny. I think they do."

**Ohhh, cliff hanger! I wanted to thank you guys again. You've been making my day everyday with all the reviews and stuff. Especially GirlOfLegend. That's all I have written now. The next chapter is sorta long, so bear with me. I don't know if I'll be posting tomorrow, I'm going to the beach with my mom and sister. :) Anyway, thanks again!**


	4. Jokes, Tricks, And False Limos

**A/N: So thanks for the reviews and stuff again guys! It makes me feel really good. So it's come to my attention that some people might think this is a slash fic. It's not. Sorry if I'm giving off that impression. Vlad's just being protective and Danny is just scared. And sorry for the delay in updates. I've been kinda busy. This next chapter is long, so hopefully that makes up for it! I want to explain the opposite decisions Danny can make in this chapter. Being a teenager, he doesn't know what he really wants, so that's why he'll think one thing one moment and change his mind not too much later. I hope it's not too confusing. And sorry if my description of Wisconsin is wrong. I'm basing it off what I've seen in the show. R/R! Oh, and I still don't own Danny Phantom. Wish I did, but I don't. **

Danny's POV

My heart stopped beating, I'm sure. My face was flushed of all color, and my eyes were wide. Vlad thinks the Guys In White know what we actually are. But...how? There's no way. Absolutely no way. It's impossible.

"You're lying." was the only thing my primitive mind could come up with to explain what Vlad just said.

"I'm not, Danny. We both have a lot at stake here." Vlad reasoned with me. I couldn't hear him, though. I couldn't hear the engine of the limo or the sound of the tires moving over the road. I couldn't hear. I began to panic. What if they call my parents? What would they do? Would my parents accept me? Would they defend me? And if they did, would they create some Fenton-named machine or weapon to 'remove Phantom from my body and rip him apart molecule by molecule'?

I began to hyperventilate, thinking of all the horrid things my parents could do to me. I started looking back and forth, as if searching for an answer or explanation in my own mind. I felt Vlad grip my arms tightly.

"Daniel, stop it. Pull yourself together. This won't solve anything." Vlad said, staring into my eyes. I felt hot tears run down my face.

"B-But what i-if they-they call my p-parents?" I said between sobs. I hated the fact I was losing it in front of Vlad, my arch enemy, but I had no choice. I was freaked out. Vlad sighed.

"I know you're scared. If worse comes to worse, I'll shelter you from them. But right now, you need to get control of yourself. I don't need your emotional outburst to cause the limo to glow green or something. We have a cover to keep." Vlad said gently. I didn't want him to hide me from my parents. I didn't want to never see them again. I didn't want the Guys In White to know my secret. I didn't want any of this to be happening!

More tears fell down my face, and Vlad sighed again. He looked around suspiciously to see if anything was glowing, then reached into his pocket. It took me a moment to realize what he was doing, but by then it was too late. He jabbed the needle into my arm and pushed on the plunger. I gasped, looking up at him to see if he really just did that. he sighed and layed me down on the seat of the limo.

"I'm sorry, Little Badger, but I can't take any risks. You're tired anyway. I'll see you in a little bit." Vlad said, before everything became unfocused. I felt the drug course through my veins, and before I knew it, I was asleep.

I woke up after a few hours. Apparently the drug putting me to sleep actually kept me asleep, which means Vlad lied earlier. Or I really was tired. I propped myself up on my elbows and looked around the limo. There was half an empty bottle of wine and a glass by the fridge. I can only imagine who finished that off...

Vlad was asleep on the black leather seat diagonal from mine. I guess he was kind of tired, too. Or he's passed out drunk. Either way, I'm kind of happy he's asleep. It means I don't have to deal with him right now...and, as much as I hate to admit it, he'll be refreshed and ready to fight if the time comes. I sighed. I didn't want to rely on him. I've never wanted to rely on him. And I never want to rely on him again. But right now, I need him.

I went over to the fridge and opened it to look for a soda. All there was was beer, wine, and moonshine. Obviously this isn't a kid-friendly limo. I shrugged and grabbed a Coors Light. I opened the can, and smelled it. It smelled like pee, and I wondered if that was normal. I wish Vlad was awake so I could ask him. He's got to be a master with alcohol. I took a sip and immediately hated the taste. It was bitter and burned my throat. I like sweet-tasting things that don't affect my throat in any way. I left the can in the cup holder. Maybe Vlad will drink it.

I looked out the window of the limo. All I saw was fields of yellow grass. There wasn't a tree or hill in sight. Is this Wisconsin? It can't be. From what I remember, it's full of forests, not grass. Where are we? I sighed in defeat. I would have to wake Vlad up.

I walked over to his seat, and put my hand on his shoulder to shake him awake. I immediately paused though. This is my chance to get hi back for the hotel bed thing. I chuckled, already knowing what to do. I walked over to the side of the limo and took some wine bottles out of a metal bucket. Placing them neatly aside so they wouldn't break, I filled the bucket with ice. Since there was no ice in the fridge, I just used my powers. After is was about half full, I opened the fridge and took out three cans of the nasty-tasting beer. Pouring them into the bucket, I walked over beside Vlad. I placed the bucket next to him, and turned my attention to some hand towels sitting by the fridge. I walked over to them and turned them invisible. I chuckled again, and walked back over to Vlad.

I heaved the bucket up to about my chest, stood over Vlad, and then turned it intangible. The amber liquid and cold ice spilled all over him, and he woke up screaming. I was on the floor laughing, and Vlad stared at me in shock. It was nice to see him lose his cool. He was trying to wipe the beer off, unsuccessfully, and I laughed harder, my gut beginning to hurt. Vlad looked at me again and smirked.

"Very well, Daniel. We're even. Now hand me a towel that I'm sure you've hidden." He said, fighting back a smile. I grabbed my abdomen as I stood up and walked over to the invisible towels. I made them visible again, and handed him one. He turned himself intangible to get the excess beer and ice off of himself and then used the towel to dry his suit. He brought the collar of his shirt up to his nose and made a face.

"Did you put beer in there?" He asked, completely baffled. It took me a moment to compose myself from my laughter before I could answer.

"Yeah. Now you get to walk around smelling like pee." I said, smiling.

"Well played." Was all he said before pulling out a bottle of cologne from a cabinet under the seat. Who keeps cologne under a seat? Especially when this limo is rented? And how did Vlad know it was there? Fruitloop.

"Now that _that_ is over with, how do you feel, Daniel?" Vlad asked, still trying to musk his newfound pee scent. I shrugged.

"Fine, I guess. Why?"

"Because I see the opened can of beer in the cup holder." He observed, putting the cologne away.

"And I see a half empty bottle of wine by the fridge, but you don't see me pointing it out." I rebutted. He has no right to judge. He's probably been drinking since he was one. And even more since my mom chose my dad.

"You just did." He said, smirking.

"Your point?" I said, wondering why we were having an argument all of a sudden. Vlad sighed.

"If you're still upset about your secret, I can-" Vlad started to say, but I cut him off.

"I'm not. Really. I was looking for a soda, but nothing was in the fridge. I took one sip and didn't even like it."

"Now you're trying to make me angry." Vlad said, smiling. I chuckled. We sat in silence for a while. I started wondering if the limo could play music when Vlad spoke up.

"Come here." He ordered.

"Huh?" I looked at him, waiting for an explanation.

"I want to check on the tracking device." He answered, holding out his hand so I could give him my wrist. I got up and sat next to him. Vlad pulled the sleeve of my shirt up and twisted my wrist back and forth to study the watch. He suddenly made his hand glow pink, and the watch transformed. It was no longer a watch. It now had a screen on it, and a keypad underneath. It looked like a slide-phone.

"Whoa!" I exclaimed, watching what Vlad was doing. He chuckled.

"You'd be surprised what it can do, Daniel. It can do much more than just track you. If we're separated for any reason, I can also communicate with you through it in a very unusual way. If I am strong enough, I might even be able to teleport you back to me through it. That's not all, either." Vlad was having a great time bragging. But I didn't care that he was. This thing was something to brag about! Vlad began typing on the keypad and looking through his options.

"So, what are you doing now?" I asked.

"I'm trying to calibrate it so it works both ways. That way you'd be able to track me, as well. Mine, of course, would still be the main watch, however." He answered as he typed away. My arm was starting to fall asleep from the way Vlad was holding it, but I couldn't care. This thing was awesome. Maybe it can play music too...

I stared out the window for a little bit while Vlad did his thing. The yellow fields were starting to get old. Yellow fields? Oh!

"Vlad!" I suddenly said, startling even myself. I had forgotten why I woke him up in the first place.

"Yes, Dear Boy?"

"Do you, by any chance, know where we are?" I asked. Vlad stopped fiddling with the watch and looked out the window. He raised an eyebrow at the view.

"No, I can't say I do." He answered, still staring out the window.

"But haven't you taken the route from your house to mine, like, a million times?" I asked, getting a little worried. What if we were lost?

"Mansion, Daniel. Mansion." He said again, and I groaned in frustration. "And yes, which is why it is quite odd." He looked out the window some more. I watched him, trying to figure out why he doesn't recognize this part. Maybe he just forgot about it? Or maybe it looks different when you're in the air? Vlad perked up suddenly and started looking around the limo.

"What is it, Vlad?" I asked, trying to stay out of his way. He grabbed my wrist and transformed into Plasmius, willing me to change as well.

"Why did you-" I began.

Vlad shushed me and turned us both intangible. He tried to fly through the roof of the limo, but couldn't. After rubbing his head from banging it against the roof, he cursed. Really cursed.

"What?" I had to shout to get his attention. He looked at me, and sighed angrily.

"I don't know where we are. We can't phase through the roof. You don't find that a bit suspicious, Daniel?" He said, then immediately started cursing under his breath again, looking around. I could reason with Vlad not knowing where we are. Maybe the GPS system took us on a different route. But not being able to phase? That's weird.

"All right. Stay quiet, Daniel. I'm going to open the door and we'll fly out. Transform." He told me. His eagerness to escape started to make me a little nervous. I turned into Phantom. Seeing the familiar white rings around my waist was comforting. I always felt more brave when I was Danny Phantom. Fenton was a wimp, but Phantom is a hero. Vlad grabbed my wrist again and opened the door.

To my surprise, it actually opened. I could've sworn it would have been locked. Vlad sighed in relief.

"Let's go." He said, and we flew out of the limo.

"If they didn't know we were ghosts before, they definitely know now." I told Vlad. We had stopped and were now just floating in the air. Vlad was pacing with one hand on his forehead.

"I know, I know. But it was either our secrets or the risk of being taken to one of their outposts. I chose the greater of the two evils." Vlad began pacing again, and I just looked down toward the road. The limo had stopped. It was sitting in the middle of the road, and a gun was sticking out of the roof. An ectogun. Vlad was right. That is a Guys In White limo.

The gun fired at us, and was headed straight for Vlad. He didn't see it coming. I gasped, and flew in front of the shot to take the hit. Vlad, coincidentally, saw that happen, and immediately flew towards me to catch me before I fell. I couldn't concentrate on anything. Everything was blurry and spinning. Even when Vlad said my name, it sounded echo-y and far away. I saw a bright flash of white light, and wondered if that was me changing back. Vlad began shaking me, trying to bring me back to my senses. I just stared at him through half-lidded eyes. I couldn't recognize his face, but I knew it was him. Who else would it be?

"Daniel. Danny, wake up. C'mon now. Fight it off, Dear Boy. You are the biggest idiot known to man, you know that, right?" Vlad was talking to me, very calmly and gently. focusing through the blur, I could see Vlad taking angry glances back at the limo as it sped away. He seemed really angry, but I couldn't figure out why. Vlad flew toward the ground and sat under a big tree. It was the only tree in the sea of yellow. He held me in his lap and made death threats toward the Guys In White under his breath. Before I fell asleep, it suddenly occurred to me that Vlad might not care if I'm hurt. He only cares about the fact that if he fails, it'll be a shot at his pride. I was angry when I felt the peace of sleep wash over me.

**Well, there's chapter 4. Danny has begun to distrust Vlad. Let me know what you guys think! Virtual brownie to anyone who reviews. (No flames please, I'm still pretty new at writing.)**


	5. The---Dream?

**A/N: Thanks again guys! the reviews have been awesome. I want to say something that doesn't really have to do with the story, but I'm not a huge Danny-Sam fan. I like Danny and Valerie better. Don't hate me! Anyway, this is a short chapter, (sorry) but it's pretty good. I think I'm actually proud of this one. I tried to describe Danny's feelings a bit more. Oh, and sorry in advance, but Vlad's not in this one. I'll stop talking now. Let's see what happens to Danny!**

Danny's POV

Only white light filled my eyesight. It blinded me from all directions, and it hurt my eyes. Groaning, I got up from the ground, which was white as well as the walls around me. There was nothing in this eerie blank room. Nothing but my shadow that was being cast from an unknown source of light. The room itself was cold, and I wondered if it was from my losing control of my powers.

I suddenly felt lonely. I wanted someone beside me, but no one came. I began to wonder if I was stuck in this place forever. If I was doomed to live this life of cold loneliness. I found myself wishing my parents were holding me, keeping me warm, but shook my head to get rid of that thought. You're not supposed to think like that when you're sixteen. Besides, I'm Phantom right now. I don't think my parents would hold me the way I would want them to. They would do it their own way.

I was in the middle of pitying myself when a voice came from nowhere.

"We know who you are, Phantom. We know where you're going, and where you live. You can't run. We will find you, and we will kill you. Slowly and painfully. We will not make it easy for you." I shuttered, wondering who this disembodied voice belonged to. It scared me like I've never been scared before. It made me want to curl into a ball in a corner with my hands over my ears and scream. But of course, I didn't do that. Instead, I put a shield around myself and stuttered,

"Wh-Who are you?"

"You know who we are." The voice said slowly. It was annunciating every one of the words, and it made each sentence that much worse. The voice itself was smooth and not too deep, but deep enough to get its point across. "You can't run forever. And you can't stay on your guard forever. Eventually, you will have to sleep, and that's when we'll strike."

I found it odd how there was only one person talking, but it kept referring to itself as 'we'. I was already afraid of sleeping before, with what happened with Nocturne a few years ago and everything, but now I was terrified. I got goosebumps on my skin and my eyes became watery.

"I...I...You don't scare me!" I screamed. I closed my eyes tight and clenched my fists when I said it. If I was still fourteen, I might have accidently used my Ghostly Wail. Luckily, I have at least a little more control now.

"We beg to differ, Phantom.  
Remember our warning.  
Remember our threats.  
You will keep running,  
But eventually you will rest.  
And when you do, we will kill,  
Not only you, but Vlad as well."

Everything went black, and I was thrown into darkness, screaming.


	6. Leaving

**A/N: So I was wondering if I should do a few chapters from Vlad's POV. I'll leave it up to you guys. Oh, and the worst thing possible happened with this chapter. I was writing it on my Kindle and all of a sudden I accidently copied and pasted something. In doing so, the entire chapter was deleted. I had to retype everything from memory. I might have left stuff out, so I'm pretty disappointed in myself.(Sad day) So anyway, enjoy!**

Danny's POV

"Daniel, Daniel, can you hear me? Wake up, Little Badger, it's just a dream." I heard Vlad's distant-sounding voice just before my eyes snapped open. I looked around and didn't see white walls and floors. I didn't hear the voice. Instead, I saw yellow grass swaying back and forth in the wind. I saw the moon, and stars peppered around it. I saw bats flying in the night sky, only visible when they were silhouetted by the moon. I heard a loud noise disrupting what should be a peaceful night.

I was screaming.

I stopped, wondering how long I had been screaming. I began taking deep breaths, hoping to calm myself down a bit. I realized I was lying on something soft. Anger washed over me when I realized I was in Vlad's lap. I looked up to see Vlad looking down at me, worry evident on his face. I jumped up, not wanting to be near him.

"Daniel-?" Vlad began, but I cut him off. His pupiless red eyes looked hurt, but I didn't care what he had to say. He doesn't care about what I have to say, or about me anyway. So why should I care?

"Shut up! Just shut the hell up! This is all your fault! Me having to leave Amity, the Guys In White knowing my secret, being chased, no, hunted, everything! And it's like you don't even care!" I shouted at him. I was accusing him of everything, already knowing that he would more than likely deny it. But I won't let him. It's time he starts taking some responsibility. I probably didn't look so intimidating, considering I was Fenton at the moment. Vlad stared at me a moment more, and sighed.

"What's this really about, Daniel?" Vlad asked. I couldn't believe my ears. Is he really so egotistic that he can't just admit this is his fault? Does his pride mean that much to him? I just told him why I was upset, there's nothing more to it!

"You're a bastard." I told him, then transformed into my ghostly counterpart. Fueled by anger, I took off, flying as fast as I could to get away from him. I realized Vlad could easily catch up, so I turned invisible, hoping to at least throw him off a bit.

I flew over the golden fields, joining the bats in the sky. I flew over a small lake, and saw deer drinking. I stopped. I've never actually seen a live deer before. Well, I've seen stuffed ones, like at Vlad's cabin in Colorado.

Vlad. Everything he did to me that night. He was hell bent on killing me and stealing my mom. He probably would've held her captive until she agreed to leave Dad. If it weren't for the Specter Deflecter, he might have succeeded.

I was scowling. How could one person be so...so...inconsiderate of others? He really only cared about getting what he wanted. That's it. He has no one that relies on him, so he just does whatever he wants without thinking of the consequences to those around him.

I took a deep breath and let it out. It's done now. I don't have to see him anymore. I'll find shelter tonight and find my way back home in the morning. I can go on living with my parents in our nice fruitloop-free home. I'll only have to relive this experience one more time when I tell Tucker, Sam and Jazz.

I sighed again. I was free.

One of the deer, a doe, took off behind me. I decided it knew this place better than I do, so I followed it. It led me to an area where there were about five or six trees. They were spread out, but it was something the deer took shelter in, I'm sure. I flew up to one of the trees. It was taller, and had a gaping hole in it that stretched from the ground to about halfway up its trunk.

Creating a light source in my hand, I shined it inside the hole, looking for any animals. There weren't any. Sighing in relief, I went in and found out that there were pine needles and grass at the bottom I could rest on. I smiled. I sat down and hugged my knees to my chest. I wouldn't go to sleep, but I could rest. In the morning, or, when it gets grey, I'll fly to a town, change back to Fenton, and find a map or hitch a ride back to Amity.

Everything would be just fine.

**Let me know what you guys think. I'm kind of disappointed in this chapter. Anyway, Danny left Vlad and he's by himself now. Any guesses on what will happen? R/R! And tell me what you think about the Vlad's POV thing.**


	7. Mistakes Have Been Made

** A/N: So I wanted to give a shoutout to dannyFANtom who guessed what was going to happen pretty much word for word. Because of this, I decided to be a little less predictable. Longer chapter. Hopefully I'll start making them pretty long now that I've found an easier way to upload rather than re-typing everything. Enjoy!**

Vlad's POV

"You're a bastard."

The words echoed in my head, ricocheting off every wall of my brain before bouncing around again just to repeat the process. I couldn't make sense of the sentence. What had I said that upset the boy? Clearly he wanted me to take responsibility for what the Guys In White are doing, but it is not my doing. They are acting of their own accord. I have not contacted them and told them to hunt us. I didn't do any of that. I sighed, pinching the bridge of my nose.

The fact that Daniel is blaming me is not a surprise, however. I've expected this since day one. I haven't given him much reason to suddenly have to trust me. The actuality of the situation is that it's a feat I've gotten him this far without too much of any resistance from him. He's had his moments of rebellion, but, again, that is expected.

I didn't think this trip would be facile in any way. But lots has happened that I didn't account for. Daniel still has a black and white view of the world. Even after two years of that being proven wrong, he refuses to believe that there is no black and white when it comes to people. Everybody is grey, including him.

I watched Daniel fly away, as fast as he possibly could, to get away. I still can't imagine what I said that upset him so much, but obviously I have, and now I have to fix it before he gets himself into trouble. I sighed again at the boy's ignorance of the situation. What he's doing is exactly what they're hoping for. Our separation. When I find him, which won't be difficult at all, considering he has forgotten about his watch, I am going to have to put the fear of God into my Little Badger. I don't want to scare him, but I can't have him doing this. He's putting us both in danger by him attempting to be alone.

I got up and watched a lone doe walk by as I flipped open my watch. Unlike Daniel, I have the power to choose what I want to transfer over to my ghost half, and I can transfer it back whenever I please. If only Daniel would let me train him, it would be so much better. But his stubbornness and his view of me keeps him from doing that. He thinks that I'll do it just to make him my, in his words, 'weird apprentice thingy'. At the moment, no. I would do it for a sense of security. I would know he was safe.

My watch beeped, and the doe, now startled, ran away. I don't blame her. Coyotes, mountain lions, and maybe even a few bears roam this area. I've already heard or seen each one. She must be at the bottom of the food chain.

My watch, now sporting a holographic radar, was presented in front of me. The radar showed that Daniel hadn't gone far...at all. I sighed. He can't even run away right. In a way, I'm happy he's not far away, but then again, it could be disastrous. In the future, if I tell him to flee, I'll expect him to flee. Not find the nearest hiding place and watch. The boy will get himself killed.

I put my thoughts of Daniel's death behind me and took off into the sky. I was cringing too much just thinking about it. Keeping the hologram up, I searched for the spot Daniel was. It led me past a small lake where a few more deer drank. Turning to go up a small incline, I flew in the opposite direction of the lake. This led me to an area of trees. After only a few seconds, the beeping coming from my watch became rapid, and I knew I had to be right on top of him. The only problem was, he was no where to be seen. Below me were only trees. I didn't see a cave or anything he could be hiding in. So where is my Little Badger?

I landed, looking around. I knew for a fact that he was here. But where? And why would he come to this particular place?

"Come out, my dear boy, I know you're here." I could imagine him cursing at himself for forgetting about the watch.

"C'mon, Daniel. We must get moving." I tried again, waiting for a response. Nothing came. I occurred to me that he could be hurt, and I began to panic. He might be stone cold on the ground, eyes wide open, blood coming out of every orifice on his face...

Fighting back tears, I looked at the radar once more. He's here somewhere. I looked around once more and saw a green light coming from a tree. I sighed in relief, literally putting my hand on my chest to calm my frantically beating heart. Putting on a straight face, I walked over to the tree.

It was not natural, that's a fact. This tree had a hole stretching from the ground to about midway up it's trunk. It has been carved out by termites, and Daniel is in the center of it all. He looked at me, fear in his eyes. He was covered in them. He mouthed 'help me', not wanting to disturb the wood eating bugs. They could bite.

Mixed feelings of humor and horror took me over. I had to get the bugs off, that's a fact.

"Oh Daniel, you can save yourself from a horrible fate." I told him while smiling and pinching the bridge of my nose. He looked angry. He probably thought I wasn't going to help at all. This is not true. I was just going to lead him to help himself. I won't always be there. In a way, I should be lucky that looks can't kill, because I would surely be dead. I sighed.

"You're a ghost, Dear Boy, just phase them off and come out." I instructed, and he got wide eyed. I'm assuming that means he forgot about his powers. How does one do that after two years with them? Daniel turned intangible and literally dove out of the tree. He was now lying on the floor of the...forest, I suppose. It was still long yellow grass. I bent down and pulled him to his feet before a snake slithered over him. He put a hand on the back of his neck, and looked toward the ground.

"Thanks." He sheepishly mumbled. He brought his arm down to wrap himself up with both of them.

"Are you cold?" I asked. It's the beginning of June. The boy shouldn't be cold. Unless...

"Yeah, I-I think it's my p-powers." He stuttered. He was right. His ghostly core is cold whereas mine is warm. He may get too cold at times where I would get too hot. This happens when I don't use my electrical energy for an extended period of time, and if it's the same for Daniel...

The poor boy was shaking and his teeth were chattering. His already pale face was turning blue. I could actually see his breath.

"Daniel, you need to get rid of some of your ice energy. Once you do, you'll warm up." I told him, but he just shook his head no.

"I-I don't w-want to hurt the d-deer." It took all of my control to not face-palm myself. Is he serious?

"Isn't there somewhere w-we could g-go?" He asked. I sighed. The boy expected me to know everything. I knew as much about this area as he did. But he won't let go of any energy until we find an unpopulated area.

"Daniel, you're being absurd. You're going to freeze to death if you don't do somehing. I've seen six deer just on the short trip over here. The population is fine. Nothing will happen. Now do it." I tried to reason. I wasn't lying. Even if he killed a few, only good could come out of it. We would have dinner, and so would the predators.

Daniel looked like he was about to do something. He got his hand out and it glowed blue, just before he collapsed. He was shaking so much he looked as if he was having a seizure. Fear took over me. I knelt beside him and put an electrical forcefield around us. It served two purposes. To keep animals out, and to keep heat in. The electricity was making it unbearably hot for me, but it seemed to be helping Daniel. He was curled into a ball, and I put both hands on his shoulders. I focused the heat from my core into him, and his shivering all but ceased. It was in spurts now, and his skin was beginning to resume it's regular hue. I backed away as far as possible, giving him some breathing room. After about two minutes, he looked up at me. I was sweating, knowing I needed to get out of the incubator I created.

Daniel saw this, and put a hand on the forcefield, using his ice powers to cancel it out. I felt the fresh cool night air on my face, and tried not to sigh in relief. I had closed my eyes when the forcefield went out, but opened them back up to see Daniel next to me. He shot what looked like a snowball into the air, and it began snowing on just me. I didn't want to accept his help, but I had to admit to myself that at this moment, I needed it. He watched me try to capture every snowflake on my face.

"Are you OK?" He asked. I stopped my charade and looked over at him, raising an eyebrow.

"Are you?" I retorted, and waited for an answer. We sat in silence, both thinking about what just happened. He was close to death, and I saved him. I was on my way to being in the same situation, and he saved me. I instantly got mad at myself. I'm an adult, and he's a child. I should be taking care of him, not the other way around. I sighed.

"Perhaps...we should get moving." I broke the silence.

"Where are we going to go? They have your address now..." He pointed out, and he was right. We couldn't go to Wisconsin or Colorado. Amity was out of the question. But maybe...

"Spain. I have a beach mansion there. We'll blend in until this all blows over." I didn't bother adding that it might not. Daniel chuckled.

"How many mansions do you have, exactly?" He asked, smiling with one eyebrow raised.

"A few. Let's go. It'll be a much longer trip to safety than I anticipated. And we still need to find a town to figure out where we are." I said.

"How are we getting there? I can't fly that long. And don't they speak, like, Spanish in Spain? I won't understand one word!" Daniel was already complaining. This would be a long trip.

"Lucky for you, I'm multi-cultural. I speak French, Japanese, Italian, and Russian too. Now let's go." I got up and flew into the air, Daniel right next to me.

"I'm hungry." He said once we started flying in a direction of what I hoped would be a town. He hasn't eaten all day. The familiar pang of guilt racked through my stomach. If only he had killed a deer. That boy is too thin to be skipping any meals. Why his parents haven't been forcing food down his throat, I'll never know. I would never treat my son like they do. They're horrible excuses for parents, especially Jack. Maddie is beautiful and smart, but her parenting skills need to be touched up. Well, Daniel is with me now, and once we get to Spain, he'll be served three three-course meals a day, where he will finish everything on his plate. I'll take care of him the way one is supposed to take care of a child. But for now...

"I'm sorry, Little Badger, but you're going to have to wait. There's nothing out here, unless you wish to kill a deer. I can cook it." I said, waiting for his repulsed reaction. He just stared ahead. Was he thinking about it?

"I think I'll wait." He replied, almost gagging on every word. I chuckled.

"That's what I thought." We flew through the night. I began thinking about what started all of this. Daniel's nightmare. His horrible screaming just before he woke up. I would need to ask him about it eventually, but for now, I'll leave it be. I don't want him running off again.

**Well, there's chapter seven! You guys have been great. Every time I post a new chapter, I get new reviews and followers. Keep it up! Oh, and my Spanish is kind of rusty, (I'm only in Spanish four) so if I make a mistake in the next few chapters, let me know. I am trying to learn the language. And I don't speak any of the other languages Vlad said, so I may be using Google Translate. Virtual brownies and smoothies to reviewers! Next chapter in Vlad's POV or no? Your guys' call!**


	8. Realizations

**A/N: Lots of reviews from the last chapter. Thanks guys! I still can't believe the story is getting this attention. The chapters are going to start being a lot longer. Oh, and in case you guys were wondering, you may have noticed that sometimes I have Vlad call Danny 'Danny' instead of Daniel. If you listen closely in the show, he does call him that sometimes. And the poll showed that it was pretty much a tie between Vlad and Danny's POV, so I'll do both. Anyway, here's chapter 8!**

Danny's POV

After flying until the sky turned grey, Vlad suggested we pick a spot to sleep. For obvious reasons, I didn't want to do that. I agreed, but I wouldn't be doing any sleeping. I'd keep watch while he sleeps. I can stay awake for at least four days before I pass out from exhaustion. I plan to use that to my full advantage. The less I slept, the better. I do not want to hear that voice again. It sent shivers up my spine just thinking about it.

"Daniel, can I ask you something?" Vlad asked, interrupting my thoughts. A thousand things ran through my mind. What does he want? What could I possibly know that he doesn't?

"Sure?" I mentally chastised myself for sounding unsure. I've been away from my friends and family for a long time, and it's started to make me a little sad. They're probably freaking out now, wondering where the heck I am. Vlad is a horrible person to go to for comfort, and I'm used to just having Tucker, Sam, and Jazz looking out for me. Now, that's not even possible.

"What do your parents do to show you they care?" Vlad questioned, and I wanted to slap him and shoot him with ectoblasts until he was nothing but a pile of ectogoop. What was he trying to imply? That my parents don't care? Of course they do! They do in their own way. It might not be like most parents, but they do care. I mean, yeah they make weapons to destroy me, but, they don't know it's me. And it's with the best intentions. They just want Jazz and me to be safe.

"What's that supposed to mean, Plasmius?" I said, putting venom behind each word. I was daring him to answer. If he did, and I know he will because he is as stubborn as me, I wanted him to word it carefully. I was not afraid of fighting him.

"You've gotten many injuries over the years. No doubt a few broken bones, multiple contusions, and concussions. You've come home with blood on your person and limping, yet they don't seem to notice. You stay out late, you're always lethargic, and your grades have gone past the point where they are no longer in the toilet, but in the sewers. You rarely eat, and you're so paranoid about ghosts you can't let your guard down. You refuse to talk to them, mainly because you're scared, which I couldn't blame you. You have secrets, Danny. You hide things from even your sister, and whatever these things are, they're haunting you. I've stood back for two years now, and I've watched you deteriorate since day one. You've completely forgotten about your own needs, just focusing on others'. I bet you weren't even planning to sleep when we stop. I'm just worried, that's all." Vlad answered.

I was silent afterwards. He was right, about all of that. How could he have been so...on the dot? Dumb Fruitloop probably can read minds. But, I wasn't thinking all of that. So, how did he know? I've never looked at my situation like that before. I always did all of the superhero stuff because I was thinking about my friends and family. Whatever happened as a result of those battles was worth it if they were still around, right? Was all of this such a bad thing? No, of course not. I'm not doing anything wrong. It's just Vlad trying to manipulate me again. Well, it's not going to work. I'm not going to let him convince me that no one notices or cares about me. He can think what he wants. Everything he said wasn't true. Vlad sighed.

"I know you won't listen to my reasons, Daniel. And the fact you stayed quiet means you know what I've said is true, whether you care to admit it or not." Vlad sighed again when I just stared straight ahead with my arms out in front of me, flying like Superman.

"Care to tell me what is bothering you?" He asked. I immediately thought of the voice, and the warning poem it left. I immediatley thought of Him. I immediately thought of the threats, beatings, and abuse I've taken over the years by ghosts. I wanted to tell someone, I wanted to talk, but not now. And definitely not Vlad. He probably had a right to know about Him, but I'm not going to tell him. If Vlad needed to know, Clockwork would've told him himself.

Vlad sighed again and we flew in silence. We still haven't found a town, and I'm beginning to think we won't. We're out in the sticks, the boondocks, and there won't be a town for miles if all those country songs weren't lying. I didn't want to admit that I was tired. But I had to stay awake. No matter what, I had to stay awake. If I don't, the consequences could be dire. Now I just have to hope Vlad didn't bring another needle with him. I can fight off everything except drugs.

I looked down at the view below us. There was a winding river with the reflection of the moon in it. Surrounding it was nothing but evergreen trees. I couldn't even see the floor of the forest because of all the trees. To the left was a mountain range. They looked greyish-blue from far away. I couldn't see any snow on the peaks, but I guess that's normal in the beginning of summer. I began to wonder if that river was made of snow-water. If it was, it would be nice and cold.

Feeling my mouth suddenly dry, I veered away from Vlad straight toward the river. I heard him call my name, and then give an exasperated sigh of frustration when I didn't answer. I landed right next to it, and knelt to the ground in the mud to drink. Vlad landed next to me and put his hands on my shoulders to stop me from cupping my hands and getting a drink. I looked up and glared at him, but he ignored it.

"Perhaps we should see if it's clean first, don't you think?" Vlad said. I grunted. I just wanted water, what's the worse that could happen? I'll get a little sick? Big deal, I can handle that.

Vlad let go of my shoulders and began walking upstream. He looked at the water the whole time, and I wanted to burst out laughing. How could _he_ tell if it was clean or not? He's no outdoors expert. What's he think he's looking for anyway? A deer hanging over the side of the riverbank taking a shit? A bear cleaning its fresh kill of salmon in the stream? C'mon, Vlad, you don't know everything!

Vlad motioned for me to follow him and I did. I was holding back laughter my whole way over there though. He looked at me when he saw I had a smirk on my face, but he ignored it, deciding to give me a lecture instead.

"You'd be stupified by my past, Daniel. Believe it or not, I grew up on a farm." My jaw dropped. Vlad took this as a sign to continue. "Yes, my father owned a pistachio farm, and I was forced to work in it until I decided to go to college in Wisconsin, where, as you know, I met your parents." I thought about this. I legitimately couldn't imagine Vlad as a farmer's boy. The picture just didn't work. And I highly doubted that Vlad would be forced to do anything. That's where the story goes downhill.

"I don't think your dad forced you..." I commented, stepping up onto a fallen tree to get to the other side of the river. I almost lost my balance, but Vlad caught my arm and pulled me back. The fact that he was having no trouble crossing this tree or climbing over the many very large rocks we encountered was proving his story true.

"My father believed in force. If I contradicted him, he would have no problem sending a punch my way, as well as his belt. Those things can make a ten-year-old boy do anything. He was also very fond of yelling. When done in Russian, it sounds twice as bad." I had trouble wrapping my mind around the fact that Vlad was beaten as a kid. By his own father, nonetheless. I realized I let one fact slip under the radar, and I decided to address it.

"He yelled at you in Russian? Why?" I asked. He gave me a curious look, and then spoke.

"I'm Russian, Daniel." He said simply.

"You are?"

"No, the name Vladimir just decided to make a random appearence in my family lineage." His answer was dripping with sarcasm. I wanted to smirk back at him, but I guess I should've put that one together. I sighed. There's a reason my grades are 'in the sewers'. I'm just not smart. I suddenly was curious about Vlad's childhood. Were there any fun farm adventures he went on? Maybe drove a tractor? I still couldn't picture him as a farmer's son. Even less dressed like one. I can only imagine Vlad in his suit or as Plasmius. Wait...

"Did you ever tell your parents about your ghost half?" I asked, insanely curious. Vlad was on top of a huge rock, helping me climb up. He grabbed my hand and pulled me up, and then stood up there catching his breath a bit. I wondered why we weren't flying. Vlad was staring down into the river with his hands resting on his hips.

"Yes." He finally answered. My eyes practically flew out of my head and my jaw was open so wide, I probably could've caught a fish like a bear. I was definitely not going to let him stop there. Vlad continued to stare at the ground.

"And...?" I pushed, wanting more details. If his parents were as strict as he says, and they accepted him, then mine definitely would!

"They said they never wanted to see me again. My father disowned me, and my mother claimed she never had a son." I about stopped in my tracks. I never thought a parent could say that about their kid, no matter what. I suddenly felt bad for Vlad. He really didn't have anyone. Guilt racked through me. I've said lots of horrible things to him. I never thought that he was truly alone.

"Why would they do that?" I asked, quietly and sheepishly. I didn't want him to get upset. If he didn't want me to know, that would be fine. But-

"My parents thought I was a spawn of the devil. They believed that I had died, and had come back to kill all of humanity for revenge. They even went as far as to shove a crucifix in my face and convince me to see an exorcist." Vlad was standing still now, just staring at the water. I wanted to say something, I knew I should say something, but I didn't know what to say. What was I supposed to say? 'There, there'? That wouldn't exactly help.

I looked at Vlad, and he had a far away look on his face. I've never seen him zone out before. He looked so blank, like he didn't care. He did care though, I could tell. I know I would be destroyed if it turns out my parents don't accept me. I probably would hurt myself. I can't imagine how Vlad has made it this long.

I hated seeing people in trouble, physically or emotionally. Even if it's Vlad. My hero-complex was screaming at me to say something. But there's nothing to say. I walked over beside Vlad and hugged him. He looked startled at first, but then hugged back. After we let go, Vlad spoke.

"The water's clean. I'll wait up there." He said, then took off into the sky. I knew that tone. I sometimes used it with Jazz. It's the 'I want to be alone for awhile, so take your time doing whatever it is you need to do and don't worry about me' tone. I sighed, and bent down to drink. I wasn't that thirsty anymore, though. I was right. This trip was definitely making things a whole lot more complicated.

**Anyone like Vlad's past? Hope I'm still doing pretty good. Oh, and someone asked me how I could be in Spanish 4 and I'm only thirteen. I've skipped a few years of school. I skipped Kindergarten and third grade. I'm going into my Junior year of high school September 3. I don't even have my license yet! (Mad face) Oh well. Let me know what you guys think of the chapter. It's a little angsty, but I thought that Danny needs to cooperate with Vlad a little more. I'll add humor into the next chapter to ease the tension. It'll probably be in Vlad's POV, but I'm not sure.**


	9. The Call

**A/N: So here's Vlad's POV! Shoutout to Maltese who told me I didn't have to capitalize Vlad's nicknames for Danny. I thought you did because he was using them as a name, but I'll stop now. The reviews have been great! Enjoy the chapter! Oh, and I started working on a one-shot. That should be posted pretty soon. The first part of the chapter is kind of like a prologue.**

Vlad's POV

I tested Daniel, and he failed.

I wanted to see how severe his need for helping others actually was, and I discovered that he was willing to hug someone he considers an enemy to make them OK. Although my story was completely legitimate and I'm thrilled he willingly hugged me, it's a bitter-sweet moment. Somehow, I need to get him to understand that he isn't responsible for everyone's happiness and well-being. It's an impossible task to make everyone happy, and he will obviously die trying.

I asked Daniel about his parents to see if he could give me an example of how they cared. He couldn't even accomplish that. I'm sure in his mind, he came up with a few excuses, but he didn't say them out loud, so I'm going to assume they weren't too great. Why the boy chooses to put himself through so much pain for people trying to hunt him is beyond me.

Parents are supposed to do more than just put a roof over your head, clothes on your back, and food in your stomach. Yes, those are the necessities, but a child needs more. They need a loving, safe environment where they're not afraid of being who they really are. A place where they can talk about their other side without fear of being experimented on. Parents are supposed to notice what their child is up to and make time for them.

I'm almost certain Jasmine is the one that Daniel talks to and she acts as his mother. Yes, the girl is wise beyond her age, but Daniel is not her responsibility, he's Maddie's and the fat oaf's. The girl's childhood is wasted trying to care for her brother, where his parents have failed. Jasmine is in college now, living on her own, and away from Daniel. I couldn't imagine how hard it is for him at home.

The elder Fentons have inadvertently ruined their children's childhoods. The children just refuse to admit that, staying loyal to their parents. The girl, however, practically raised her brother and the boy has ghost powers. Yes, although Jack got the one thing in life that I couldn't have, he has failed miserably. He failed his family, and to fail your own family is to fail society, because those children will not be able to function correctly. Jasmine may be doing well now, but she will crack, and her parents won't do anything about it. Daniel has already cracked, and no one is doing anything about it. Until now.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I waited in the sky under the rising sun. My arms were crossed and I wore a scowl on my face. I didn't want to admit that I was devastated by what my parents did to me, but there's nothing that can be done. They disowned me, but I cannot disown them. I still try to call them every now and then, even go to their ranch in Georgia, but I never get an answer. I try to contact them, but still nothing. I can't even find their names in a phonebook anymore, which means they must have had them changed. They want nothing to do with me, not even share the same last name.

I accidentally let a few tears slip out, and quickly wiped my eyes. I did not need Daniel to see me like this. I've kept it together for twenty-two years. Now is not the time to do this. I can grieve the metaphorical death of my parents some other time, but not now. Now I must focus on Daniel and his protection. Who knows when the next attack could be?

Becoming impatient, I opened up my watch, using the intercom to talk to Daniel. Since he isn't in danger, I will let the watch say it out loud. If he had been captured, however, I would be able to talk to him in his head. I can't wait to see his reaction to that.

I pushed the button to speak on my watch and waited for the beep saying the watches were connected.

"Daniel, my dear boy, it's been half an hour. I think you've had enough water. It's time to get moving." I watched down below as he turned every which way, looking for me and the source of the sudden noise. Looking up, he saw I was still in the air. The confusion on his face was more than evident. He flew up beside me.

"How the heck did you do that? Teleport again?" He asked, his neon green orbs wide. I sighed and pinched the bridge of my nose. If he's this confused about the intercom while it's out loud, I seriously can't wait for when I use it in his head.

"I used your watch, my boy. It's not some new power I've obtained."

"Do you still get new powers?" He asked as we began flying in the direction we had been flying in before we landed.

"No, I'm as powerful as I'm going to get. I haven't gotten a new power in ten years." I replied, avoiding flying through a cloud. It's easier than everyone thinks to get lost in one. And I didn't feel like getting wet and drowning inside of it either. There is little oxygen in clouds. Just water.

"That doesn't mean you're done gaining abilities. I haven't gotten a new power since my ice ones two years ago." Daniel said when we met back up.

"You're still young. Yes, you will get more. I, however, will not. Now, I'm going to assume you're starving by now. Keep an eye out for a river that actually has fish in it." I said, getting hungry myself. At mentioning food, I heard Daniel's stomach growl. I glanced at him, guilt flooding my veins. He should have his stomach full twenty-four-seven. If only we could find a town...

"Vladimir, look!" Daniel shouted. Before I looked at what he was pointing at, I flew in front of him and stopped. He stopped too. The last person to call me by my full name was my father. What was Daniel getting at?

"Why?" I asked, knowing he'd know what I was talking about.

"You call me by my full name. Why can't I call you by yours?" He asked, an innocent smile on his face. He was making another futile attempt at getting me to always call him Danny.

"I'm an adult, _Daniel_, so you will treat me as one. Respect is a must, especially if you expect me to feed you." I said, and slowly flew away so he could catch up.

"Fine, go hunting by yourself. I'm going to find an Olive Garden in that city over there." He replied, and flew away to the right. My eyes went wide, and I looked over to where he must've been pointing. There was a city on the horizon, and I about passed out from exhaustion thinking about food and a bed.

I chased after Daniel and easily caught up. We were just outside the city limits, and he almost flew right in and walked into any restaurant the way he was.

"Daniel, stop! You must transform first!" I scolded. I grabbed his wrist so he couldn't go any farther. This town may be one of many who don't believe in ghosts. To see two flying through would be disastrous. It'd surely be on the news, and the Guys in White would have a clue as to our whereabouts.

"Oh, right. Heh Heh. I'll, uh, go 'head and do that." Daniel muttered, rubbing the back of his neck with his free hand. I glared at him, and pulled him into an alley. We both changed into our counterparts. For what we've been through in our ghost halves, our human halves didn't look bad. We would blend in.

We walked out, trying to look nonchalant. Well, at least I was. Daniel was practically floating off the ground looking for the nearest restaurant. I sighed.

"Daniel, walk. Look, there's a place up there." I said, pointing down the block. He would definitely get us discovered if he keeps this up.

"You have money, right?" He asked as he fell into step next to me. "'Cause I don't want to steal anything."

"Yes, dear boy, I do. Loads of it, actually." I answered, bragging because I know how much it annoys him. He only smirked.

"Well, you're about to spend about a million on food, because I'm starving." I chuckled.

"If you can eat a million dollars worth of food, I will give you another million for doing it. Now let's go in. When we sit down, we'll start talking about strategies." I said, opening the door. Daniel went in first, and the aromas from the kitchen had me guessing if combined, we really could eat a million dollars worth. It smelled delicious, and I couldn't wait to sit down after flying so long.

"Hi, y'all! Two?" The blond haired waitress behind the podium asked. Her hair was in two braids, and she looked about nineteen years old. She wore a pink plaid shirt and jeans. On her feet were cowboy boots, and she had a cowboy hat on her head. Her nose was covered in freckles.

"Yes, ma'am." Daniel responded.

"Well aren't you polite? Your daddy there has taught you well. Y'all can follow me." She said as she led us to our table. I couldn't help but smile at what the waitress said. She thought Daniel was my son.

"Mary-Lou will be your waitress. She'll come take your order soon." The waitress smiled and went back to her podium.

"So," Daniel began, staring at the table. "deep south?" He asked. I nodded.

"The deepest." I replied. I was used to this, but growing up in New York, Daniel wasn't. It was silent, and he decided to begin talking.

"You're not my dad. I saw that grin." He said, staring at me. I smiled.

"Oh, little badger, people will be thinking that a lot. I suggest you get used to it." Daniel grunted at my nickname and what I just said as Mary-Lou came to the table.

"Hi, I'm Mary-Lou." She handed us menus and put silverware on the table. "Y'all definitely aren't from around here, so I won't bother asking if this is your first time." She said, noticing our attire. "Can I get y'all's drinks?"

"Do you have Mountain Dew?" Daniel asked.

"Of course, sugarpie! And for you?" Daniel blushed at the nickname. I couldn't tell if it was from embarrassment or not.

"Sweet tea would be fine." I said.

"OK, I'll be right back."

Daniel was looking through the menu, and couldn't help but take glances at me.

"Something you wish to ask?" I said.

"Yeah, actually. Uh, they won't serve road kill, right?" His ignorance knows no bounds. I sighed as I spoke.

"No, Daniel. They will not."

"Good, then I'm getting steak. The biggest they've got. And can we get an appetizer?"

"Fine. Pick one out. I need to go make a call." I said, pulling out my cell phone. I got up from the booth and walked into the bathroom. I wasn't worried about letting Daniel out of my sight. His watch would alert me to any danger.

My battery was almost dead, so I had to be quick. I punched in the number and waited for an answer. The phone rang.

And rang.

And rang.

I didn't get an answer. I wasn't too surprised. I typed in Jack's number next. Maddie's probably worried sick about her son. I'll let them know he's with me and he's fine. The phone rang, and was picked up the first time. I was surprised by that. They must have been waiting for a call from the authorities.

"This is agent K. The Fentons can't come to the phone right now. And if this is who we're looking for, we now know where you are. Thanks, and call back later." The phone hung up. I wanted to throw the phone against the wall so they couldn't track the call, but it was too late. I shut it and hurried back to the booth.

"Something wrong? You look like you've seen a ghost." Daniel joked when I sat back down.

"No. Everything's fine." I replied. "Everything's just fine." I said again. The truth was, everything was not fine. And it was my fault. I never would've thought they'd hold Daniel's parents hostage. If they're even alive anymore. The Guys in White know where we are, which means we can't rest here a night. I was hoping to get at least one night, but that's now out of the question.

"Are you sure?" Daniel asked, seeming genuinely concerned.

"Yes. Go ahead and enjoy your steak." I said and stared out the window.

"You're not going to eat? C'mon Vlad, you know you're hungry." I really wasn't anymore. The fact that the Guys in White knew where we were was destroying my nerves and putting me on edge. If I tried to eat, it would just come right back up. Daniel looked at me, more than likely suspicious now.

"Eat. For me?" He asked. He made a pouty face and made his voice sound like he was five years old. I almost gave in, but didn't.

"Not now. I was thinking we should get going when you're done." I suggested, hoping he didn't ask too many questions or fight too much.

"What? We're not staying the night? And you told me I wasn't taking care of myself." He grumbled the last part. "Look Vlad, I don't know what happened, but you're more paranoid than ever now. You're going to eat, and we're staying the night so you can rest. And since I know you'll go where I go, I'll just find a hotel somewhere and put it on your tab."

"You have to have an ID to do that, Daniel. Now stop trying to order me around and just listen to what I say. Understand?"

"But-" He began, but I interrupted him. I was beginning to lose patience.

"Enough back-talk, Daniel. My word is law, right now. What I say, goes. It's for your own good." He grunted, and cut into his steak. I had to admit, the food came out fast, and it looked well cooked. My mouth began to water, but the image of the Guys in White finding us immediately made me want to vomit. I almost had to excuse myself again.

Daniel took his time. Obviously he wanted to stay. He might have been killing time to get me hungry enough so I'd eat, but that wasn't going to happen. I was beginning to get sick of his games. He should understand by now that this isn't a vacation. We're not seeing the sights. We're in serious danger. If the Guys in White capture us...even I'm afraid of what they'd do. I can't very well stay on my guard the rest of my life, however. Perhaps Spain is a better option than I thought. Since the Guys in White are government agents, they will have no power in a foreign country. They probably wouldn't even be allowed in.

I sighed, slightly slouching in my seat. I rested my head in my hand and had my elbow on the table. Normally I would never show such horrible table etiquette, but I was more stressed and paranoid than ever. Not only did I have myself to worry about, but Daniel as well. He's my responsibility now more than ever. With his parents in an unknown situation, I must look out for him. Let's just hope he'll start behaving better.


	10. Operation FREEBIRD

**A/N: Great idea from dannyFANtom who suggested I do a chapter in the point of view from the Guys in White. Short chapter, but I think it gets the point across. (Smiles evilly as I make an evil looking finger pyramid) I'll probably be posting this chapter at the same time as my other chapter, plus one. I don't know. I'm into the story too. My brother came home for the weekend from the Marines, so I'll be spending some time with him. Love you guys! Enjoy.**

Guys in White POV (Third person)

It had been five days and the Guys in White still hadn't captured Danny Phantom and Plasmius. These two seemed to be very elusive. Every time they thought they'd had visual, the two ghosts would vanish again, and completely disappear from their radars. It was beginning to drive them crazy. It was like they could act like a regular human and suppress their ectosignitures, causing the ghosts in question to fall off the face of the earth. They had been tracking, what seemed to them, a leprechaun, until one video changed everything. One video showed them that they weren't crazy, and they began moving in the right direction.

The video showed an ebony-haired teenage boy by the name of Danny Fenton transform into their target. Two white rings beggining at his waist and moving vertically in opposite directions changed him into Danny Phantom. It then showed Vlad Masters, billionaire of a lifetime, transform into their other target. Mirroring the other, his rings were black, but moved it the same directions as the teen's. These two ghosts had the ability to appear as every day (in Fenton's case) people. That's why the targets kept disappearing from sight. They could easily blend in. After watching the tapes and seeing proof of the possibility, a darker skinned agent, Operative O, began questioning the technician showing him the tape.

"Where did you find this?" He asked in a booming voice that sent the ginger-haired technician into a frenzy trying to come up with the right words.

"A-A man dropped it off at the front door. It was just sitting there when I got to work." He managed to stutter out.

"No identification on our benefactor?" Operative O interrogated.

"N-No sir."

"Very well." The agent said to the young technician. He turned away and pushed a button on a desk behind him to speak to the whole department, who had watched the tape earlier. "I want these two...creatures...found. I want them bound and gagged in ghost proof binds. Neither can escape if we wish to carry out our operation. Show no mercy, but they must be alive and conscious. Take everything you've learnt over the years and use it now. It will take all of our cunning and stealth to catch these two. Beat them if you must. Shoot them, stab them, torture them. Just remember they must be alive and conscious." Operative O let go of the button. He turned around, looking out the window of the large thirty-story building, and grumbling to himself.

"If those two are out there, we will find them. And we will start with their families."

**Who could this mysterious man be? Do Vlad and Danny have a bigger problem than they know? Can I ever stop leaving authors notes? Stay tuned!**


	11. Daniel Gets A Reality Check

**A/N: I have a lot more fun writing Vlad's POV. I don't know why. Anyway, here's another chapter! And thanks for not murdering me for taking awhile to upload stuff. Brother came home and all. Oh, and don't be afraid to PM me if you have a question about a chapter. I'll answer it, but I'm not giving anything away for the future.**

Vlad's POV

We had just left the restaurant. Walking as fast as I possibly could, we had only made it two blocks. This is because Daniel decided it would be fun to play the 'let's point at every hotel in the city and read every billboard in existence!' game. I couldn't take five steps without him trying, and failing, to convince me to get a hotel room. I just wanted to leave and get as far away as possible. We would be able to rest when we reach Spain.

If we ever get there... I thought.

"Hey, Uncy Vlad, look! There's another hotel! I think that one has a pool!" Daniel pointed at a one-story hotel that, indeed, had a pool. There were leaves all over the covering of the aquatic structure, however. The pool was obviously closed. No doubt some murder victim's body was found in it.

I shuddered. If we don't get moving, someone will be finding our bodies.

"Daniel, please, just listen to me." I said as I knelt down to his height and put my hands on his shoulders. Even though he was sixteen, he was now only the height of a fourteen year old. Probably due to his ghost powers. I could fix it when we get to Spain.

"Vlad?" Daniel asked, trying to shake my hands from his shoulders. I gripped them tighter and looked right in his blue eyes.

"Danny...we're in trouble, all right? They know where we are because of my idiotic mistake. They are on their way now, and we have to leave. If you would please help me by just listening to me the first time and doing what I say without complaint, that would be fantastic." I told him, feeling guilty for worrying him.

"They know? But how? What did you do?" Daniel asked, becoming enraged. His eyes flashed green, and he took a step back from me.

"Daniel-"

"Shut up! You turned us over so that I would get caught, didn't you? This has all been one huge game to you. You pretended to care just so I would trust you, then you'd just hand me over to them wrapped in a decorated box with a bow! Is that it, Plasmius? Is that what you've been planning this whole time? What deal do you have with them?" Daniel accused. Every word hurt in a way he couldn't imagine. Couldn't he see that I was trying to rebuild everything? He just can't leave the past behind him. I'm going to have to use logic to convince him of my innocence.

"Daniel, listen to me." I said as I grabbed his wrists and pulled him into an alleyway so no one would see us. I pushed him against a wall and pinned his hands above his head. I didn't want him to try to run away, and I didn't want him to try to attack me, either.

Daniel tried to kick, but he wasn't doing so well, considering he needed his legs to stand. Suddenly recalling he had ghost powers, he tried to transform, but I stopped him mid-morph. I wasn't taking that risk either. Daniel decided the next best thing was to yell for help. He did, and I put both of his hands in one of mine and used the other to cover his mouth. His eyes became wide, realizing he was running out of options. He looked around for something he could use against me, but the only thing in the alley was year-old trash. Daniel gave up, and looked into my eyes.

I shook the loose strands of hair out of my face, and began to talk.

"I am not working with the Guys in White. I have no deal with them, and do not plan to. I am not giving you to them, Daniel. Why would I do that? If I was giving you to them, why would I give you the watch? Why would I protect you during that first attack and take care of you since? And furthermore, why would I tell you where I was going?" I questioned, not expecting an answer. Daniel stayed silent and looked toward the ground.

"Will you run if I let you go?" I asked, becoming uncomfortable. Daniel shook his head no, and I slowly took my weight off him. I let go of his wrists and he slid to the ground of the alley. His knees were brought up to his chest and he wrapped his arms around them. He still stared at the ground. I sighed and sat down beside him.

"Am I going to die?" He asked, his voice shaking.

"No." I replied simply. Even if we're captured, I don't think the Guys in White intend to kill us. They'd rather run experiments on us until we were close to dying. Thinking about it, death would be a lovelier fate.

Daniel sighed. The look in his eyes told me he hated looking so vulnerable in front of me. He hated having to rely on me. He looked up at me and began talking.

"The mistake. You said you made a stupid mistake that costed us our cover. Was it the call you said you had to make? Who'd you call?" I sighed.

"Your parents. I was trying to tell them you were with me and safe." I sighed again, knowing, soon, I would have to tell him the fate of his family.

"And? What'd they say? Why didn't you tell me? I wanted to talk to them!" Daniel said, getting at least a little upset that I wouldn't have let him speak with his parents.

"They didn't answer." I replied, not lying. I really didn't want to tell him. His attitude would change. He would either want to go back and fight his way to his parents, or go with me but be completely depressed the whole time. Teenagers. Always acting out of emotions. They just can't think straight.

"That's it? I find it hard to believe that Dad wouldn't answer your call." Daniel commented. I smirked, but lost it as soon as I realized I was doing it. I sighed.

"I'll tell you the truth Danny, but you have to promise me something." I told him, looking right into his eyes. His face dropped and the color drained from it.

"OK."

"You have to promise me that after I tell you this, you won't run off, blame me, or do anything of the sort. Do you promise?" Daniel nodded, and I took that as his word.

"Your parents didn't answer the phone, because the Guys in White did. They know our secrets. They'll tell everyone. They have probably already told Maddie and Jack. I'm...I'm sorry, Daniel." He just looked at the ground some more. He was practicing his cursive signatures in the dirt, but one of them wasn't his own. One name he wrote was Sam Manson. I knew the girl and her parents. They were millionaires, so we had a little bit in common. Samantha, I knew, was also Daniel's girlfriend. I learned this the first night when I went to Amity to fetch him. Strange. I always thought he'd end up with Valerie.

"Any comments, Daniel?" I asked after he finished making the 'n' at the end of Manson.

"No." He simply said, then wiped everything away with his hand and stood up. "Can we just go?" He asked, pleadingly.

"Yes, dear boy. We can go." I told him, and he transformed and waited for me to do the same. I did, letting the black rings around my waist expand around my body. I closed my eyes when I transformed, and when I opened them back up when I was done, I saw a ghost-proof net coming straight for Daniel.

"Danny!" I yelled and pushed him out of the way. He fell to the ground to my left, and the net enclosed me within itself. It cocooned itself around me, and I was trapped. I couldn't phase, and I couldn't blast my way out. That was all I was able to try, considering my arms were pinned to my sides.

Daniel opened his eyes and blinked a few times, trying to make since of the scene in front of him and what just happened. After a moment of realization, his eyes flashed a brighter shade of green than they already were in the general direction the net came from. He ran over to my side and looked over the net.

"Don't touch it," I warned, "it'll shock you."

"Don't need to." He said. He placed his hand a few inches above the net and used his ice powers. He was trying to be as gentle as possible, knowing I was feeling it too. I didn't have to use words to question him. He saw it in my eyes.

"I'm freezing it so that one hard punch will shatter it. This thing is ghost proof, not element proof." He stated. Just as he finished explaining, the Guys in White appeared in the alley on the same hovercraft machines. They wore bright white, metal suits. Each one, no doubt, equipped with some ghost fighting and catching equipment. They had helmets with masks attached to them on their heads. The suits looked like a high-tech Fenton Peeler or whatever Jack idiotically called that thing. One agent pulled a bazooka out of a pack attached to his back. And began walking over toward us.

I didn't want to admit my fear.

The agent stopped about halfway and two more agents stood off to the sides behind him. They, too, held large weapons.

One aimed a gun at Daniel, and I immediately put an end to that. Shooting lasers out of my eyes, I knocked the gun out of the agent's hands.

"Sorry Vlad, this might hurt a bit, but I have to rush. We're a little low on time." Daniel said, and created a large ball of ice in his hands. I nodded, telling him it was all right. He slammed it down on my chest, effectively shattering the net, and knocking the wind out of me. He then charged a green ectoball in his hands and shot it at the disarmed agent.

"That's for trying to shoot me, punk!" He said. The agent on the other side aimed his gun at Daniel, but the agent up front stopped him. I held a hand to my chest and sat up as much as possible. Daniel kept his fists glowing green in case of an emergency.

The agent up front took his helmet off. He held it in his right hand and a gun in his left. The agent who wasn't unconscious looked at him like he was crazy, and was about to speak, but the other, obviously the leader, stopped him.

"Now now, Danny, why don't you put that blast away? We're all people here, right?" The agent said, admitting to both Daniel and myself that they knew. The agent went on even though Daniel didn't absorb the attack. "I'm Operative O, leader of the Guys in White. You two have been quite elusive. Listen, things will be easier if you just come along..."

"No!" Daniel and I said at the same time, and both blasted Operative O. The dark-skinned agent was knocked to the ground. I stood up and flew into the air, knowing Daniel would know to do the same. From above, we watched the only conscious agent get the other two and talk into some kind of walkie-talkie. He was calling for backup.

"Let's go." I said, ordering Daniel in a very stern voice. He didn't argue. We flew far away from them at a speed of at least three hundred miles an hour. We didn't stop until we couldn't possibly go any longer. Well, until Daniel couldn't possibly go any longer. We stopped, and both started to catch our breath.

"Are you OK?" Daniel asked me. "That net looked pretty tight." I waited a moment to answer, catching my own breath. Flying that fast in that short of time span is like running a marathon in twenty minutes. It's virtually impossible.

"Yes, Daniel, I'm fine." I said as I stretched out my arms for the sake of being able to do it. Being constricted within that net restricted my ability to move.

"I don't know, that doesn't look so good." He said as he pointed at my arm. I twisted it over so that my palm was facing the sky and saw the laceration from my wrist to my elbow. Ectoplasm was coming out at an alarming rate. That net must have cut me when it wrapped around. Was it barbed? It must have been to cause this. I didn't feel anything though. I know it'll hit me ten-fold when the adrenalin works its way through my system.

"We need to wra-" Daniel began, but I interrupted him this time.

"It's fine, Daniel." I put my glove back over it. "See, good as new." I began to slowly fly away from the city and he followed.

"Don't ever tell me I don't take care of myself again." He said when he caught up. "'Cause at least I took care of my wounds." It took every ounce of my self control to not laugh out loud. I had already been planning on giving the boy a check-up when we got to Spain. I wanted to see the extent of his injuries over the years, and see what I could do to heal them properly. Yes, he may have 'took care of' his wounds, but he didn't heal them.

"I'm fine Daniel. I have a little more experience than you. See down there?" I pointed to a long river that seemed to flow for miles. "That's the Mississippi River. We'll follow it back up north. From there, we can find an airport and get one of my private jets to take us to Madrid." Daniel seemed to hardly notice I was talking. He was staring at the river.

"It's so long..." He observed.

"Daniel, did you hear-"

"Yeah, yeah, follow the river north to an airport to get to Spain. I got that. But look! All that green grass and trees! It should be easy to find food, water, and shelter from the Guys in White there. Oh and Vlad," Daniel looked at me. I recognized that look. That was the same look he always gives me when he's about to say something smart. I looked at him to show I was listening. "I don't think you have any money. The Guys in White are government agents who know your human half. To put it gently, your accounts are frozen." He said with a sly smile on his face. He was waiting for my reaction. I definitely didn't let him down.

"Oh, butter biscuits!"****

Oh, c'mon, who didn't see that bank account thing coming? And it's a fanfic with Vlad. If you don't make him curse food at least once, you've failed. Reviews put a smile on my face every time I get the alert on my phone, so...yeah! Virtual brownies to everyone who's reviewed. Still love you guys!


	12. Danny's Mental Breakdown?

**A/N: Back to Danny's POV for this chapter. Thanks for being so patient this weekend guys! You know, my brother coming back. He crashed my mom's Mustang into a dumpster! I was laughing so hard! He made me memorize a cover story for when we went back home. (It was only us in the car) There's a huge dent over the left headlight now. Gotta love him. :)**

Danny's POV

Ever since the Guys in White attacked again, Vlad had become very paranoid. He was always looking over his shoulder and talking quietly as if speaking would get us caught. I yelled at him, and made a point to yell because of the lack of volume in his voice, that we were in the middle of no where following a river. He would counter, saying that we were following a national landmark, and if they discovered that, we were screwed. Well, he didn't say screwed, but still. That's the translation I got from his annoyingly big vocabulary.

It was daytime, and we had been following the river for three days. The sun was setting, however. I loved this time of day. The shadows cast by the sun seemed to never end. The roasting air seemed to cool leaving you feeling recharged. Normally I felt recharged now, but I didn't. It had been three days since I've slept, and I think Vlad was beginning to catch onto that. I flew slowly, never felt like talking, and wasn't even, in his words, 'taking in the scenery' anymore. I shrugged it off, saying that I was just thinking about my parents. That always shut him up fast. Dumb cheese head didn't want to talk about it. I sighed.

My parents. Are they OK? What have the Guys in White done to them? Torture? Did they break my mom's experiments and take away Dad's fudge? Are they hurt? Are they...dead? So many unanswered questions ran through my mind, and with every passing second, I was becoming more afraid for my parents' fate.

Thinking about all of it always gave me a headache. It made me more on edge. My patience was destroyed, and anything could set me off into a rage. Vlad figured this out quickly, since he was the only one here for me to go off on. He began to talk to me less and less, only doing so when he needed to. I knew what happened with my parents wasn't Vlad's fault. He made some good points with that. I also knew my rage was inane. I just couldn't help but be mad lately. Anything and everything set me off. The strange thing is, at night when Vlad was asleep, I would be crying. I cried every night now. I became a master at being silent while doing it. I was also very sensitive to anything Vlad joked me about. Normally I would just counter with something equally insulting, but I couldn't anymore. Every time he tried to start a friendly game of wits, I would immediately throw in the cards. I didn't miss the worried look he'd give me.

"Look, little badger, a Bald Eagle." Vlad said as he pointed into the sky. We were traveling by land, which is what we did during the day. Then we'd spend two hours flying at night, then sleep. That has been our pattern, and if we kept it up, Vlad estimated we'd be in Spain in about a week. I sighed at Vlad's futile attempt to make conversation again. All it ever did was make me angry. I could tell Vlad was trying to get me to be amazed with the wildlife again, but I just couldn't.

"Who cares?" I said, and tried not to trip over a log. Vlad sighed and dropped his hand back down. He walked over by my side, stepping over the log with ease, and began talking.

"Daniel, what's going on? You've changed in the last seventy-two hours. You're irritable, more than usual. You don't enjoy all the things you used to enjoy." Vlad listed off reasons he thought something was wrong.

"What's your point?" I asked, putting more venom into it than I meant. I could tell by the defeated tone of his voice that he was only concerned.

"I'm beginning to think you may be clinically depressed. I know the signs..." He said. He could not have been more wrong. I wasn't depressed! I was just worried about my family, and he seemed to be avoiding that subject completely. Hell, I don't even know if they have Jazz or not! All he was worried about, though, was himself. If I kept slowing him down, he might get caught. It's not like he really cares. No matter what, he's still Vlad. Whether or not I can explain his odd behaviors that might make one think he does care. He doesn't. I've gone down that road too many times. It just gets thrown back in your face. I stopped walking and turned around to face him.

"Shut up, Plasmius. Stop thinking you know everything, including what's wrong with me! You have no idea what I'm going through. You don't know me! And stop pretending you care! It's driving me crazy! You're nice one minute and the next you're shoving me against a wall and pinning me to it! That really hurt, you know. Not like it concerns you, though. I just want to go home and see my family! I just want none of this to be happening!" I shouted at him. His red eyes were wide. I think he was shocked by my sudden outburst, but I couldn't care less. I turned around so I didn't have to look at him.

This was all his fault, no doubt. He is probably the reason we have to hide in the first place! He was probably messing around with the wrong people, being his smug, cocky self, and let something slip.

I've never been so angry in my entire life. Not even when He tried to kill my family and friends to ensure His existence.

Thinking of Him got me more angry. If it weren't for Vlad, He wouldn't exist! He has done nothing but make my life more miserable since the first day we met, and let's not even get into that story. Could he have been anymore fruitloopy?

I felt rage course through my veins. That selfish, uncaring, manipulative bastard is the cause for all of this! I closed my eyes, still seeing the green light behind my lids, and clenched my fists. This ends now.

I turned around and put all of my energy into a blast that I hoped would knock Vlad out. Taking him by complete surprise, all his 'years of experience' couldn't train him to put a shield up in time. He was knocked down to the hard earth. I wished we were flying so the fall would hurt more. He propped himself up on his elbows, looking like he just saw the lochness monster.

"Daniel, what are you-"

"Shut up!" I yelled as I blasted him with another shot. His eyes went wide and he only had enough time to put his arm in front of his face to shield it from the onslaught of attacks I was now using. I gave him everything I had, from simple ectoplasmic shots to my ice powers. I was not going to let him talk his way out of this one.

I quickly became tired and fell to my knees. Using so much energy in so little time...I was exhausted. Vlad lied on the ground, staying perfectly still. After a moment of listening to myself pant, he began to move. He slowly got up and braced himself against a tree. There was ectoplasm coming from scratches all over his body. I stood up and walked over to him.

"Daniel...wh-" He tried to ask me something, but I kneed him in the stomach, sending him to the ground once again. He clenched it with both arms, gasping for breath. He rolled over into the fetal position. After about a moment, he slowly rolled over and just lied on his back, his arms now gently resting on top of his stomach.

I looked down at Vlad. I've never seen him so...vulnerable. He didn't even try to fight back; to hurt me too. Why? Why was he just letting me beat him up? Why wasn't he fighting back? He should be furious, electrocuting me until I pass out. He should be making a jab at my dad and hitting on my mom.

But no.

He just lies still, waiting to see if I do anything else. His eyes were open and he was watching me. One side of me told me to end it. To kill him and go home. The other side was screaming at me that I'm a horrible person, and that everything I've thought and done in the last few weeks were wrong.

I sat down on the ground just as thunder roared overhead and the clouds opened up. I was too busy trying to hurt Vlad to notice the weather change. I brought my knees to my chest and wrapped my arms around them. I started crying, hoping the water running down my face could be played up to the rain. I was so confused, I couldn't control myself. I needed something to vent my frustrations on, and Vlad took my misplaced aggression without complaint.

I felt something touch my shoulder, and looked up to see Vlad kneeling over me, his hand on my shoulder.

"It's OK, little badger." He said in a voice so gentle that I thought only Jazz could use it. His other arm was still clutching his stomach, and I felt guilt like I never had before.

"Vlad...I'm so sorry..." I muttered. I began shivering from the mixture of rain and cool night air.

"It's OK. Lie down, now, Daniel. Get some rest. I think you're just overly exhausted." He said gently, and I listened. I wanted to cry more at how he was basically tucking me into bed after everything I just did. I was on the ground, and Vlad gathered some dry sticks and made a fire so I wouldn't freeze to death. He pushed my bangs out of my eyes and sat down.

"What's going on, Daniel? What are you hiding from me?" He asked. My mind instinctively told me to shut up, to not tell my arch-enemy anything. But...could I really call him that anymore? After everything he's done for me? I thought about telling him about that voice. About the eerie white room and everything. But I couldn't. Yes, it scared me and I didn't even want to sleep anymore, but I just couldn't tell Vlad about it. If anything, it would only make him more paranoid. He'd start asking questions that I either didn't know the answer to, or didn't want him to know the answer to.

I sighed. All of this thinking and confusion was giving me a horrible headache. Everything was blurry due to it. I couldn't help but wonder if it was due to my lack of sleep.

I felt a hand on my shoulder and flinched away. Why was Vlad being so nice after what I just did? It just didn't make any sense.

"Daniel, there is obviously something on your mind; something you're hiding from me. If it's bothering you to the point that it made you do what you just did, then I need to know. It might be something important and-" I looked right at Vlad. I had been looking at the ground the whole time, and I must have startled him. It might also have been the intensity of my gaze that made him stop talking mid-sentence.

"Please Vlad. I just want to sleep." I begged. Vlad sighed and nodded his head.

"All right, little badger, but tomorrow morning, I want answers." I only shut my eyes, not responding to his demand. I immediately opened them, something coming to my mind.

"Are you staying up, Vlad?" I asked, watching him walk a few feet away, favoring his right leg. Guilt is a horrible feeling. It seems like nothing you do or say can make it go away. Vlad turned around and looked at me, and nodded.

"Yes, dear boy, I will be up for a little bit." He answered, trying very hard to avoid telling me why. I knew it was to nurse his wounds. I swallowed my guilt and my pride and asked my question.

"When you get tired, can you wake me up? That way, we can sleep in shifts. It'll be safer if one of us keeps watch while the other sleeps." Vlad just stared at me a moment, wondering why I had made that request. Wasn't I the one telling him to calm down and stop being paranoid? Vlad didn't respond to the oddity of the question or why I had asked it. He didn't push, and I was grateful for that.

"Yes, Daniel. I will wake you up." He said, and I visibly relaxed. Vlad took off his cape and layed it over me as a blanket to keep the rain off. I smiled my thanks and snuggled into it, excited that I'd be able to sleep. He nodded and went into the forest, probably looking for aloe. I ignored the guilt once again and let my eyes drift close. I would never be able to make it up to him.

**Thanks for being patient guys. I'm going through a bad case of writer's block. And I read a rumor somewhere that they might be putting Danny Phantom back on the air. If it is true, YAY! If not, that is a cruel, cruel joke. R/R! I don't know when the next chapter will be up. I got to get over this block. Any tips would be great! And I know Danny is very OOC in this one. I'm not really happy with it, but it's crucial for the progression of the story. Danny's just looking for some normalcy.**


	13. Vlad's New Power

**So, most of this chapter is about Vlad getting his new power. The past is written in italics. Thanks for the reviews guys! I love seeing them. I was playing Zumba with my mom when I looked at the phone and started smiling like an idiot. Anyway, see you at the bottom!**

Vlad's POV

I should've known. There's no other excuses. I just should've known. I should have saw the signs, the red flags Daniel was throwing in every direction.

I rolled my eyes at my own negligence.

Daniel wasn't throwing red flags. He was repeatedly firing off a flare gun, and I ignored it. Daniel's earlier outburst is no one's fault but my own. In my haste to get to Spain, I forgot that Daniel may need someone to talk to about his family, that he may have some frustrations to vent. But no. I forgot that, only thinking about getting both of us to safety.

I put my hands on my face and slid them down. I let Daniel use every ounce of power he had against me, because I knew from the first shot he took that this was my fault. Yes, when he didn't let up, I began to wonder if he planned to kill me. If my wounds became too severe, I don't even know if I would've stopped him. He had every right to do what he did. One just simply cannot expect a sixteen year old to know how to handle their emotions.

I sighed. Yes, this was my fault.

I looked back toward the camp. The fire was still going, somehow, and it illuminated Daniel's sleeping form. I was amazed at how fast he had fallen asleep. It only proved my other theory, though. Daniel had not been sleeping, and I, again, had failed at ensuring his health would stay up to par. I had to remind myself that that particular task would be much easier when we were in Spain.

I grunted, sudden pain running up and down my leg. I tried hard not to cry out during Daniel's moment. I think I succeeded. I'm not sure. The only thing I could really focus on was the pain on every inch of my body. It coursed through my veins, poisoning everything about me, including my thoughts. They were only filled with the pain that I was sure would never end. But just as fast as it started, it ended. I had to admit when I was putting Daniel to sleep that my little badger knew a lot more about his powers than I gave him credit for. There were things I noticed during my times of consciousness that could be touched up on, like his stance when he blasted his shots and the way he held his hands, but other than that, I had no complaints. I wasn't really in the position to be giving him tips, anyway.

Leaning against a tree, I scoured the area for some medicine. I knew that some times plants could be used to relieve pain, I just didn't know what they looked like. I sighed, giving up, and limped back to camp.

Getting back and sitting on the ground, I decided to use the rain as an advantage. Not moving from my spot, mostly because I don't think I could if I wanted to, I dug a hole in the ground. I put a single leaf in the perfect position to begin collecting water. After I was sure it worked, I lied back and rested my head on my arms.

I remembered the promise I had made Daniel. I know he'll be mad at me, (when isn't he these days?), but I'm not going to wake him. I just don't have the heart, especially when I don't even know the last time he slept. Maybe rest will improve his mood.

I rolled over on my side to look at Daniel. He's hiding something, I'm almost certain of it. Behind all that anger is a secret that is causing it. It acts as a battery source, and Daniel is the proprietor. He's harboring something that could be dangerous, and it's making me demented. Whatever that secret is, it's tearing Daniel apart, which in turn, makes me want to murder the one who did this to him.

I got up and went over beside Daniel. I put my hand on his head, and wondered if what I was about to do was the right thing to do. I shook my head. I had no other choice. I have to figure out what's doing this to my little badger. If I don't do something, he will, and I won't have that.

I sighed. I had lied when I told Daniel I had not received any new powers. I had honestly thought I was done with that up until about a month ago. It happened during a meeting in my office and I had no control over it. It almost costed me my secret.

_It had been an average day. Someone messing up my orders, me firing said person, and signing paperwork. I had a meeting at one in the afternoon. It being one thirty, I decided I was late enough to the point where I had proved I was in charge, and they were all lucky if I showed up at all. Smirking because I knew that Daniel hated it when I thought of myself as higher than someone else, I marched over to the conference room. Opening the door, I found everyone sitting quietly, staring at their hands on the table._

_"Why is no one working?" I asked, threateningly calm._

_"We...we couldn't start without you, sir." Said a young man at the end of the table. He couldn't have been older than twenty-five. I raised an eyebrow, and walked to the front of the table._

_"Is that so? And why is that?" I said, testing him._

_"Be-because you are the b-boss, and we have to have you here." He stuttered. I loved this part. Scaring people to the point of wetting themselves. If memory serves, one person has before._

_"You do realize that time is money. This meeting should be half over by now. Not just beginning. I will not toler-" A strange feeling washed through me, interrupting my speech I always gave to those who did this. I had never felt this way before. It was intense, and it made me have to sit down. _

_"Sir?" A woman said, wondering what to do. I was holding my stomach, the source of the feeling, and tried to contain it. The moment it came from the area between my ribs and stomach, I knew it had to do with my ghostly core. _  
_As hard as I tried, I couldn't contain it, and I began to worry about what would happen in front of so many people. _

_"Call an ambulance." I heard someone say as they crowded around me. That was the last thing I needed them to do. I needed to go home right away, but I couldn't exactly teleport with everyone staring at me. Meanwhile, the feeling was only becoming more intense, harder to control. I was beginning to lose the battle. I needed to deal with my incompetent employees first. Get rid of them, and I can leave. _

_"No, no. I'm fine. This meeting is over. Reschedule it for Tuesday at one. I must go home to attend to personal issues." I muttered, trying to scatter everyone to give myself breathing room. Whatever this was would not let up. _

_"Sir, I think we must. You look very pale, and-" the same woman tried to reason with me._

_"Listen to me, unless you all want to apply for unemployment, I suggest you do as I say!" I yelled, clinging for anything to grab on to. I felt as if I was about to burst. Looking at my hand, I saw it changing from intangible to tangible and back again. Was my ghost half trying to take control of me? These people needed to leave, now._

_"But Mr. Masters-" the woman said, trailing off. Why don't people just do what they're told? I was on the floor now, the feeling spreading from my core to every other part of my body. I hated it, but there was nothing I could do about it. I looked at my watch, happy I did. I didn't care what time it was. I was using the glass to see my reflection. My eyes were red. I immediately closed them, knowing I couldn't turn them back to blue. I balled my hands into fists, trying to regain some control. _

_I looked up, careful because of my eyes, and saw that some of the crowd had dispersed. Well, everyone except one. The woman. She was persistent._

_"Sir, I don't care what you do. I'm calling an ambulance. It's the right thing to do. Maybe when you're not in so much pain, you'll thank me." She said as she pulled out her cell phone. I couldn't let her do this. I hated hospitals as much as I hated Jack. Spending all that time in one after the accident made sure of that. And if I'm taken to a hospital, I won't be able to just let this feeling go and let it do what it wants. It's clear my core needs to be rid of something._

_The dark-skinned woman started dialing 911, and I panicked. I grabbed her wrist to stop her, and I was immediately pulled inside. By inside, I don't mean I took her over. I had tried to move but I wasn't in control. I was in her brain, hearing her every thought. I saw what she saw, and, more importantly, what she didn't see._

_"M-Mr. Masters? Where'd you go? Hello?" She looked around the room. She had no idea where I was. I had no idea where I was. And both of us were very confused. Walking into the hallway, she began asking if anyone had seen me. Getting the obvious answer, she became downright flabbergasted. After searching the building until the lunch bell rang, she gave up. _

_That's when I learned what girls think about._

_The next five hours was filled with her wondering if the man she liked liked her back, if she had any perfume in her purse, if her makeup was smeared, and, the worst part of it all that will scar me for life, if she had any tampons. At that point, I did everything I could to escape._

_Escaping from one's own mind is a difficult thing to do. You can feel trapped by anything: sadness, anger, frustration, and other malevolent thoughts and emotions that threaten to consume you. Escaping from someone else's mind, however, is virtually impossible. I learnt very quickly that it takes time for me to gradually push, literally push, my way out of this woman's, who I figured out is named Helena, mind. You see, I, against every will I may or may not have or have ever had, learnt a lot about my dear Helena while I pushed my way to freedom._

_Helena is twenty years old. She likes winter and men who can express their feelings, or whatever. She graduated from Yale at the top of her class, and now works for me. She has a two year old daughter and a one year old son at home, which the sitter is currently watching. She is looking for 'Mr. Right' and hopes to have another child someday._

_This is where I was ready to pull my hair out, trying to escape from the maddening facts I was learning about this woman. She had a 'crush' on me._

_Apparently she loved how I took control, and wasn't afraid to speak my mind. She adored how I didn't think of anyone else. In her mind, she saw this as I was just afraid to get close to anyone, because I might make a mistake, or something. When her thoughts began drifting to things about my person not regarding my personality, I had had enough. Giving it one last push, I shoved through her mental barrier and came out of her head. I was in my ghost form, invisible._

_Flying as fast as inhumanely possible, I got back to my mansion. Collapsing to the floor of my bedroom, I gasped for air. Regaining control over my body and mind again had already taken a lot out of me. It didn't hit me until the next morning that this was a new power. It was a power like no other I had seen. _

_I now had the ability to go into one's mind and hear their innermost thoughts. _

_This was definitely something that would need to be trained. I don't want another incident like Helena. The problem was, how do you train a power like this? It isn't something you can do by yourself. I want to control it, not needing it to give me that intense sensation again and trapping me in someone else's mind. But how?_

_For the next two weeks, I would lie flat on my bed every time I felt the odd sensation begin to consume me. I tried every position possible to contain it, and eventually, I was able to. I hadn't gone into anyone's mind since Helena's, afraid I'd be trapped permanently or learn something I didn't want to know._

But now...it seems I have no choice. I must see what is wrong with Daniel, and if he won't tell me, then I'll figure it out on my own.

Placing my hand back on my little badger's head, I tried to focus on that overwhelming feeling. I tried to let it consume me, and eventually, I started to feel it. It hit, and I almost collapsed to the ground because of it's intensity.

Fighting it as best as I could, I focused the energy into Daniel, hoping the power worked when someone was sleeping as well. I was not disappointed. I had to admit my fear when my hand got sucked into Daniel's head. I couldn't pull it out, and my struggling only resulted in my arm and part of my chest to get pulled in. Sighing, I let go of my own existence and became one with Daniel's.

I couldn't see anything. It was dark because Daniel's eyes were closed. I didn't hear anything he was thinking, because he wasn't thinking. He was dreaming. Mentally chastising myself for thinking this would work, I began to push my way out. I would just have to do it when Daniel was awake. But how? Heaven knows the boy would never let me. He still didn't even trust me enough to just talk to me and cut out the middle man. The middle man being, of course, this new power.

I was weary about using it on Daniel. It is still highly untested and somewhat uncontrolled by me. But I'm desperate now, and this was my only option.

"Hello Danny." I suddenly heard something. Ceasing my attempt to escape, I listened. I didn't recognize this voice. It wasn't one I'd ever heard before.

"Can't you just leave me alone? Leave us alone? What the hell do you want, anyway?" Daniel said. This obviously wasn't the first time he's spoken with whomever this is... is he fully conscious? But he's asleep! Is that possible?

"What fun would that be, Phantom? Besides, you didn't heed our warning. Must we remind you of the consequences?" It sounded as if this being had multiple voices, yet there is only one. Was this a ghost? Or something else? It can't be a ghost, no ghost has power like this. Except that sleeping ghost, but he can't do this.

"I know your damn consequences. I already took care of it. Vlad and I are sleeping in shifts, so do me a favor and go screw yourself, hmm?" Daniel said, clearly annoyed with this being. Or was he pretending to be annoyed because he didn't want to show his fear? The voice only laughed.

"Quite a mouth on you, Danny." It chuckled some more. "I'll let you believe that. What you don't know can't hurt you. And it's difficult to protect someone from their own mind. You will die, Phantom, you and your makeshift father,-"

"Vlad isn't my dad!" Daniel yelled. Interrupting the monster. Was this the thing that is upsetting my little badger? The being didn't appreciate being interrupted. It's voice became low and serious to the point I was beginning to feel afraid.

"Expect your deaths soon.

You can run  
But you can't hide.  
Expect the cessation of your life.  
You try your best  
To no avail.  
To protect those around you  
You will most certainly fail.  
The more you struggle,  
The more you resist,  
The more you begin to float adrift.  
In your mental downfall  
There's only one thing you'll know.  
It's that no matter what you thought,  
Everyone stopped caring ages ago."

I felt a force push on me, and I was thrown out of Daniel's mind. Landing on the ground with a thud, I tried to catch my breath. I had one hand on my stomach, the other propping me up so I could sit. I noticed the rain had stopped, but the main thing I noticed was Daniel's bloodcurdling scream.

I got up as quick as I could and went over to him, trying to shake him awake. Not having any luck, I sent a surge of electricity through him. His eyes opened, and the screaming stopped.

"Daniel, what's wrong?" I asked, although I already had a pretty good idea. Daniel looked around a second, trying to get his bearings. Looking at me, he seemed to calm down some, until he suddenly remembered my question.

"I-...nothing. I'm fine." He said, still shaken. I rolled my eyes and let my frustration get the best of me.

"No you're not, Danny. I want to know what's wrong and I want to know now. I'm sick of you lying to me." I said, trying my best not to raise my voice. It didn't work too well. Daniel sighed.

"Do...Do you really want to know? Do you think you can handle it?" Daniel asked, looking and sounding so defeated. I felt a tug at my heart, and immediately calmed down.

"Yes, little badger. I want to know, and I can handle it." I said.

"Well...it started back-"

An explosion blasted us into the river. The last thing I remember before losing consciousness as I sunk to the bottom of the river was a dark-skinned man in a white suit holding a bazooka.

**Cliffhangers suck, huh? I'm so evil. Just before Danny was about to confess. Shame. Reviews make my day. :)**


	14. The Evil Is Out

**Quick note: I got some PM's asking about Vlad's power. It's similar to overshadowing, but it's not. The person still has full control over their body and thoughts. When someone is overshadowed, they lose both of those abilities. This is just a really dangerous power because Vlad can get trapped in someone's mind, but we'll get to that later. Thanks again guys! I absolutely love everyone who's reviewed. Now let's find out what happens...**

Danny's POV

I needed to talk to someone. The voice had visited me again, and this poem was scarier than the last. It talked about me going crazy instead of dying. I think I'd rather be dead than lose everyone I care about. Not talking was what was driving me insane, so I needed to talk. But more importantly, I needed someone to listen. I looked to my side where Vlad was sitting. He was watching me, waiting for the answer to his question. Well, order really. He said he was sick of me lying to him. I hadn't been lying, not completely. I just wasn't telling the whole truth. But the part of the truth I didn't tell him was the part that was bothering me. I sighed.

"Do...Do you really want to know? Do you think you can handle it?" I was scared. It seemed like since this thing was bothering me so much, it would hurt Vlad too. And I was scared because I was about to tell my arch...my enemy...everything. Again, my natural instinct told me to shut my mouth and run. But I fought it. No, not this time. This time I needed to talk.

"Yes, little badger. I want to know, and I can handle it." Vlad said gently. He was being so kind, probably because he's been asking me to talk for awhile now. He was anxious to listen and didn't want to ruin it and make me angry.

"Well...it all started back-" I was interrupted by a blinding light, booming noise, and a great force. Being thrown into the Mississippi river, I opened my eyes to see Operative O standing at the bank of the river. His gun was poised on his shoulder. It was aimed into the air right now, but the smoke coming out of it told me it had been used recently. Like, now recently.

Flashing my eyes a bright shade of green, I flew out of the river. Floating over the agent, I charged blasts around my fists and gritted my teeth.

"Don't you ever give up?" I yelled. I was angry. But that's nothing new.

"Now, now, Danny. Let's be adults about this. You're just a teenage boy who wants answers about what's happened to him in regards to him suddenly having the ability to turn into a ghost. Coincidentally, so do we. We can give each other what we want, Danny. We can help each other get the answers we're looking for." Operative O said, slowly walking under me. He was staring into my eyes. I almost laughed in his face. Did he honestly think I would just fly down there and give myself up? He had to be high.

"Uh, no." I said, giving him the answer I hope he expected, or he was a bigger idiot than I thought. I elongated the 'no' so that he'd know my answer was obvious. The operative sighed.

"That's what I thought." He said, and aimed the gun at me. I panicked and flew higher into the sky to give myself more of a reaction time. Turning back around, I saw the blast from the bazooka-like gun already next to me. I didn't have time for anything.

The shot hit me, and sent me falling to the ground. I couldn't move. I wondered if I was paralyzed. I couldn't get up or anything. Agent O walked over to me on the ground. All I could do was blink.

"I tried to get you to come quietly, punk. You chose this, not me. Now, where's Vlad?"

Vlad? Vlad! Where is he? Was he hurt? Is he hiding, waiting for the right moment to save me? Did...did he leave? My questions went unanswered in my mind. Operative O wrapped me in a net, picked me up, and strapped me to the back of his hovercraft. I was scared. Very scared. I don't even know if scared is the right word to describe my outright terror.

I looked around frantically, hoping Vlad would save me.

"Come out, Masters, I just want to talk." Operative O said.

"Oh, but 'talking' takes a lot of effort, and we're both very tired." Vlad said, appearing out of no where in the air with his arms crossed. He was glaring at the agent.

"You're right. Maybe we could try some other strategy?" Operative O said, lifting the bazooka and pointing it in Vlad's general direction.

"Agreed. Perhaps a trade will do nicely." Vlad said, taking a quick glance at me. Seeing Vlad's eyes, Operative O shook his head no.

"Sorry, Masters, I don't do trades." Aiming the gun at Vlad, he began to speak again.

"I do, however, compromise. Turn yourself in quietly, and we don't hurt the boy. How's that sound?" My eyes went wide when Vlad didn't answer. Was he thinking about it? Vlad sighed.

"I'll turn myself in if you let Daniel go and leave him alone forever."

'What? Vlad, wait!' I couldn't voice my thoughts. They were stuck in my head, and I had no way of telling Vlad how much of an idiot he was being. I didn't want him to do that. We were both supposed to be safe, not this!

Operative O seemed to contemplate this. He shook his head angrily, pulling the trigger half way to charge a blast.

"My patience is growing thin, Masters. It's my way, or you and the boy will be hurt. Your choice." He said, slowly pulling the trigger. Vlad froze, two pink charges glowing around his fists. Was he still contemplating turning himself in for my safety? I wasn't able to think for long. Before I could think 'No!', Operative O fired the gun.

I closed my eyes, not wanting to know what would happen. Maybe if they were closed, none of this would be happening. Maybe I would see a bright light, then open my eyes to realize I was in my room, all of this being a dream. Maybe there would be hope.

But that's a lot of maybes, and as my life goes, I'm not that lucky.

I opened my eyes to see Vlad wasn't in the air anymore. I prayed to anyone who would listen that Vlad wasn't hit.

'Oh, please don't let Vlad be hit, please...' I cried in my mind. I didn't show any outward emotion, however. I didn't want Operative O to see me scared. He would think he won. He would think he had beat us and we've given up.

Anxiety washed through me when I still didn't see Vlad. Is he even here? Was I right earlier? Did he really leave me? I closed my eyes again. I had felt tears beginning to form, and I wanted to stop them before they trailed down my face.

I had to escape. I've always escaped before, I have to escape now. I'm on my own. I guess I should've seen this coming though. I should've seen the light. But I deluded myself into thinking everything would be okay. Probably because Vlad sounded so sure when he said we'd be safe in Spain. The problem was just getting there, but he obviously hadn't wanted me to know that. He was trying to hide how difficult it would actually be to get there. He was trying to protect me in a way.

Whatever. None of that matters right now. Right now, I need to escape with my life. I can't let anything get in my way. I could feel the affects of the blast wearing off, so as carefully as I could, I began fighting back.

Wriggling around in the net, I tried to find some sort of clasp or anything that could untie the net. Not having any luck, I began to bite it, but that wasn't working either. I couldn't use my powers, so phrasing was out of the question. It was probably a ghost-proof net anyway.

I had done everything I could, and nothing was working. Is this where it ends? Is this where I'm captured and tortured for the rest of my life? Is this where they hold my funeral back in Amity thinking I'm dead, then forget about me? I felt some tears fall down my face. Yes, this is where it ends.

Operative O was standing over me. He was just staring. He sighed.

"Look, punk, I know you're just a kid, and I have taken that into account, ghost or not, but since you have an incredible ability, I can't let you walk away." He said, as if that was supposed to help me. With a blink of my eye, I saw Operative O fly about fifty feet before a tree stopped him. Looking to where he once stood, I saw Vlad.

"And we know you're just a mortal, and we have taken that into account, human or not, but since you're trying to harm us, we can't just give in." Vlad said, remaking Operative O's speech with the angriest look I've ever seen him have. Before the agent could get up, Vlad got on his hovercraft and drove away.

Once we had been driving for at least ten miles, Vlad finally stopped and turned his attention to me. He sighed when he saw the net.

"Is it hurting you?" He asked. He probably wanted to know if he needed to get it off quickly or not. I shook my head no. He nodded and opened a compartment by the handle bars. While he was searching through it, I noticed something.

"Vlad, you're not Plasmius right now. Why?" I asked, probably pointing out the obvious and making him roll his eyes, but I didn't care.

"The blast shorted out my powers. I don't know how long it will take to get them back. That's why I took the bike. Go ahead and change back. We need a break anyway." He said, pulling glowing scissors out of the compartment. I changed back and decided to comment.

"That's convenient." I said, watching him come back to me with them in hand.

"Well, I wouldn't imagine they'd do this without having some way of getting you out." Vlad replied as he cut the net. Feeling it fall off me, I sat up and stretched. The net had me curled into a ball. I looked at Vlad, then at the bike.

"Who's riding bi-"

"Don't finish that. I'm driving, Daniel." Vlad interrupted. I guess that's one word he won't let me say. I smiled as I planned to whisper it in his ear the next time he slept. Noticing Vlad's confused look at my smiling, I shrugged and got on the bike near the handle bars. Vlad immediately pushed me to the back and got on. Feigning a pout, I held on to the sides of the seat.

Vlad took off at full speed, like I did when I had taken my road test. Basically...like a beginner.

"Whoa, Vlad!" I said as we went. "We're not in the Daytona 500! You don't have to take off so fast." I said. Vlad chuckled.

"I apologize for my lack of skills in driving a hoverbike, Daniel. You see why I wouldn't let you drive? You're still learning to drive a car."

"I have my license!" I said, holding on for dear life. The seat wasn't offering much of anything to hold onto.

"Barely. Your father told me about what happened on Range. I must say, that is quite impressive, little badger." Vlad said, chuckling once again. My face turned red. He was talking about the time I had first gotten behind the wheel of a regular car. It was at school, and we had finished Simulator the week before. I had tried to put my blinker on, but it turns out the windshield wipers were on the blinker. I had accidentally turned those on, and was freaking out because I didn't know how to turn them off. No matter which way I turned the thing on the blinker, they kept going. In complete panic now and embarrassed, I eventually just took the key out of the ignition, hoping that would work. I was now in the middle of the school parking lot, halfway into a parking space between two cones, with the car stopped. The line of Range cars behind me grew, and I could see in the rear view mirror that they were all laughing. The windshield wipers stopped, but when I  
turned the car back on, they started up again. The teacher had to come over and help me. If there was ever a time I wanted to turn invisible, it was then.

"You know about that?" I asked, mortified.

"Yes, it made my night." Vlad said, not retaining his laughter any longer. My face turned a deeper shade of red. After a moment of listening to Vlad laugh, I tried to defend myself.

"I'm much better now. I know how to work everything and how to drive."

"I'm sure you do, just not with me in the car." He chuckled out. I grunted and hung onto the seat tightly as we went downhill. I could swear I was going to fall off. Vlad sighed.

"Daniel, you and I both know you're going to fall hanging on that way." He said, trying not to make it awkward. Too bad, he did.

"I'm not doing it the other way." I snapped.

"Suit yourself." Vlad replied, and let the subject be. There was a moment of silence before Vlad began talking again.

"So, before our friend payed us a visit, you were going to tell me something." My face became red again. I really had been about to tell him everything. About the voice, about how scared I was for my family, maybe even about Him. I'm kind of glad Operative O blasted us into the river now. I almost told Vlad my secrets.

"Oh, right, uh...I'm hungry." I said, acting like that was what I had meant to say. I wasn't lying. I was hungry, but Vlad's no fool. He wouldn't buy that. No sane person would.

"Daniel-"

"I just don't want to talk about it, okay?" I said, pleading he'd drop the subject. Vlad sighed.

"I was afraid of that." He said, and pulled over beside a tree.

"Why are we stopping?" I asked. He got off the bike and put one hand on my head. It made me uncomfortable how he just left it there.

"I need to know what's bothering you, Daniel, and you're not willingly telling me."

"What's that have to do with why we're stopped?"

"I haven't been entirely truthful either." Vlad said, and I got confused. His hand on my head began to feel like it weighed a ton, but every time I tried to escape his grasp, his hand would just follow. It's like it was inside my head.

"And you're about to find out what I haven't been entirely truthful about." He said, and the next thing I know, Vlad's gone. He just vanished into thin air. He couldn't have gone invisible, he said his powers were shorted out. But...if that were true, how did he blast Operative O away before he saved me? That still doesn't prove he lied though. Sometimes if you concentrate really hard, you can get one shot in before your powers disappear. And if he were invisible, I would sense him. So...where the hell did he go?

"Vlad?" I said out loud, not sure if I expected an answer or not. Not wanting to call too loudly, knowing Operative O could still be nearby, I called Vlad's name again. Still no answer. Where is he?

I didn't know what to do. Should I wait here for him to get back, or hop on the bike and keep moving? Has Vlad been captured by being teleported right to the Guys in White's headquarters? Was I next?

I felt lonely. I kind of wished Vlad was back joking me about my driving skills. But he just vanished, and I have no idea where he went. I brought my knees up to my chest and wrapped my arms around them. It was getting cold. I hadn't noticed the sudden chill of the night until now. I heard an owl call, and realized how alone I must actually be. I could hear the crickets around me, and even frogs jumping into the river.

Well, this sucks.

I stood up again, and cupped my hands around my mouth.  
"Vlad?" I called, but still nothing. Once the shock of my sudden voice wore off, the animals began making noises again. I began to truly feel alone. My only company was the animals and insects around me. What if Vlad teleported somewhere and left me? Would he do that? Probably. He's still Vlad. He doesn't give a damn about anyone. He left me alone so he would be safe.

I sat back down and went into my knee-hugging position. I looked around in the darkness for any sign of human life, but I found none. Shivering, I wished I had a fire or even a jacket. All I had was the long sleeve shirt and pants Vlad had given me back at the hotel. How long ago was that? A week? A month? Who knows?

I unwillingly felt a few tears roll down my face. I realized I was alone anyway, so why does it matter? I couldn't figure out why I was crying. I know I have every reason to cry right now and had every right to, but none of it bothered me to this point. Yeah, life sucks. I'm half-alive, have parents who ruthlessly hunt me, I have an overbearing sister, everyone in town thinks I'm a criminal...and that's just the general stuff. If I began to think about what's happened in the past week or so, the list would never end.

But none of that bothers me. At least, I don't think it does. I think about all of that, and I feel nothing. And yet, I'm still crying. Why am I crying? I don't feel sad or anything. Maybe a little cold and hungry, but not sad. There's no use crying over something you can't help. I realize that now. If I keep getting emotional over everything that happens, I'm only making my own life harder. So, knowing that, why am I crying?

I suddenly felt a force inside of my head, like something was consistently hitting my skull. I put my head between my legs and shut my eyes as tight as they would go. I clenched my teeth and tried to keep from crying out. This feeling in my head was hurting me in a way I've never been hurt before. It was attacking me from the inside out. I knew going ghost wouldn't help in any way, shape, or form, so I didn't even try it. I didn't know what I could do to combat the malevolence in my head.

It wasn't long before I lost my ability to think. Words began jumbling together and became a language that no one understands. I couldn't comprehend what was happening anymore. The force in my head became stronger and I thought my head was literally just going to combust.

There was a flash of dark, black light, and my eyesight was gone for who knows how long. I couldn't see a thing, I only noticed the force in my head was gone. Slowly, I began to see shapes and colors again. I could hear again. I shook my head and rubbed my eyes, hoping it would help. It did. Blinking a few times, I saw Vlad, in his ghost form, floating in front of me looking into the sky. His pupiless red eyes were wide with fear, and looking up, I found out why.

While Vlad floated a few feet off the ground, the being I saw floated above the treetops. He had white, flaming hair, greenish skin, and a black and white HAZMAT suit with my logo on it.

"No." I whispered under my breath.

**Well, there it finally is. Chapter 14. I am so so so so sorry for the long wait. I have a really bad case of writer's block. Virtual brownie to anyone who can guess who this being is. :) I'm not so proud of this chapter, but I had to get it in. Obviously. Lots of questions, I know, but everything will be explained in time. Don't forget to review!**


	15. Descent Into Darkness

**Congratulations to literally everyone who guessed 'the being'. I knew you guys would get it. I didn't think it'd be hard. Fighting through writer's block to get chapters updated as much as possible. I'm really sorry if the quality goes down or something. But if it's staying up to par, let me know! Ok, so here's chapter 15! TUE spoilers, and...it can get kinda dark. Danny is not taking Dan's reappearance well at all. Enjoy!**

Danny's POV

"No." I whispered under my breath.

_It can't be. It just can't. It's impossible. He's supposed to be with Clockwork!_

My mind was grasping for any explanation as to why He was here. It just didn't make sense. He wasn't supposed to be here. He was supposed to be in the thermos with Clockwork! I don't understand! How did this happen?

My eyes began watering because I was so scared. All I could do was stare open-mouthed at Him. He looked back at me, an evil grin plastered on his face, and the bastard only smiled wider.

"Well, Danny, seems I was right, doesn't it? You still turn into me." Dan said, using his creepy baratone voice to send me to my knees.

"How?" Was all I was able to mutter out, wondering if He even heard me.

"When Vlad went into your head, he became one with you. His ghost half mixed with yours, and voilá, I'm born once again!" He ended with an evil laugh. I was still confused. The last time, Vlad took my ghost half out and it went on to take his out for revenge. But...we both still had our ghost halves. So, how is He here? And what the hell did he mean when he said Vlad went into my head?

Vlad landed beside me, his hand on my shoulder. I realized I was still on my knees. I must've looked so pathetic, but I didn't care. My worst nightmare had come true, and there was nothing I could do to stop it. It's not like there's a portal around to seek out Clockwork.

"Danny, what is he talking about? What is that thing?" Vlad asked, a mix of confusion, concern, worry, and anger in his voice. I turned my head to look at him. Tears rolling down my face, I spoke,

"I'm sorry." I said, as clear as I could. My voice was breaking from fear. How could this have happened?

"You're sorry? For what?" He asked, confused. In the air, we heard Dan sigh with frustration and annoyance.

"How lovely. You've formed a bond with the one I remember being arch enemies with." He said sarcastically. "Too bad it's too late." He said before charging energy around his fists, stronger than what Vlad could do, and blasted us.

I don't know how long I was unconscious for. In the darkness of my mind, only one thing ran through it, echoing off every wall and then fading away a little, only to get louder as it comes back to haunt me.

I failed.

Even after I had promised to not become that...that...demon, I had failed. I had failed my parents, I had failed Sam and Tucker, I had failed Jazz, but, I think most importantly, I had failed myself. There is nothing that compares to the feeling of knowing you have failed yourself. There is nothing worse than the miserable and worthless feeling it gives you. It makes you feel useless and unwanted, like there's no reason for your existence. It makes you want to give up, it makes you want to... no. I don't want to admit it. Admitting it...it's a horrible thing to think. But, I can't help but feel that maybe...I have to.

Maybe Clockwork was wrong. Maybe the Observants were right all along. Maybe I should've just agreed with the Observants. They were right when they said there's no real need for my existence. My selfishness in wanting to stay alive has put the whole world in danger. Now, because I was only thinking of myself, everybody pays the price. I wish they had killed me. If they had, this wouldn't have happened, and everyone would've been safe.

I can only look back through a kaleidoscope of memories now. They flew at me. Fighting various ghosts, spending time with my friends and family. Yes, there were times I was happy. But was it worth it? Was my happiness worth destroying the world? My selfishness has killed everyone I love. And there's nothing I can do about it. He was right. It's too late. He's already free, wreaking havoc wherever he is.

_'You seem to forget my reasons for keeping you alive, Danny.'_

I could practically hear Clockwork's voice in my head. He was trying to cheer me up, to make me feel better, but I don't have faith in anything anymore. Clockwork knew this would happen. Yet, he did nothing to stop it. Why? Because I know the answer. The only way to stop Him from being born...is to make sure I cease to exist. Since He's my future, he'll cease to exist as well. It's the only way. If I was as noble as I once thought I was, I would've told Clockwork to strike me down where I stood before this all happened. At least then, I could die knowing I did the right thing. But now? Now I can die wishing I had never lived to begin with.

I slowly opened my eyes-Why do they have to open? Why can't they just stay closed?-The moon was still out, but it was higher in the sky than when I was knocked out. I wonder how many days it's been since I've been lying here. I used whatever strength I had to prop myself up to a sitting position. My legs were bent, and my arms rested casually on top of my knees, my hands hanging between them. I was squinting even though it was night time. Maybe I wanted it to be darker than it was. Maybe I just didn't want to see the light.

"Daniel!" I heard Vlad say, running next to me and kneeling beside me. He placed a hand on my forehead for a bit, and once he was satisfied I wasn't sick, he actually hugged me. I pulled away, knowing I don't deserve affection, but I wasn't able to get far, because Vlad kept his hands on my shoulders. He looked relieved.

"Are you okay? Are you hurt?" He asked. Concern was etched all over his face. I shook my head no, and he sighed in relief. He looked at the ground for a moment, then said, "I have a fire going over there. And there's fish. I know you're hungry." He said with a small smile. I shrugged. I didn't want to eat. I deserved to starve.

"C'mon." He ordered gently, and helped me into a standing position. He ushered me over by the fire and sat me down. The warmth from the fire felt amazing...which is why I moved away from it. I don't deserve warmth. Vlad raised an eyebrow, but didn't say anything. I noticed Vlad had made two teepee like tents against two separate trees. I think they're called lean-to(s), but I'm not sure. We stopped learning about Native Americans after seventh grade.

"Do you want something to eat?" Vlad asked, and I shook my head no. Vlad's eyebrows furrowed, and he shook his head too. "Too bad." He said before handing me a smooth, circular rock with fish on it. I only played with it. I spun the rock around and saw how fast it could go before fish would fly off of it. Realizing I was having fun and enjoying myself, I put the rock and fish to the side and stared at the ground.

"Daniel, is something wrong? You've been acting...different ever since we saw that ghost." Vlad asked, sitting across from me. Isn't he quite the observant one? I mentally sighed and shrugged. "Is there something you know that I don't? You've seen plenty of ghosts before, Daniel. Why is this one any different?" What is this, an interview? I shrugged, and watched the flames of the fire dance around, sending ash and sparks into the sky. Underneath, the wood burned with intensity, glowing red and deep orange as it slowly spread to the wood around it.  
Watching the fire, I realized I was breathing clean air, and got up to move to the area the smoke was going. I sat down and took a nice deep breath. I don't deserve to breathe unpolluted air. Vlad got frustrated, and it showed all over his face.

"This is getting ridiculous, Daniel. You won't eat, won't get warm, and now you want to inhale smoke? What's the matter with you? And I want the truth." Vlad said as he picked me up bridal style and carried me toward the warmth of the fire and clean air. Normally, I would've been embarrassed that Vlad was carrying me like a child, but now I deserve to be humiliated. Actually, humiliation is too good for me. I deserve pain.

Vlad put me down on the ground, and the only thing I did was get up and move back to my old spot. I looked at the different colors of the fire, trying to ignore Vlad's worried gaze. I never knew fire actually had multiple colors until now. I mean, I knew it was always depicted to have orange, red, and yellow, but I always thought it was just orange. Looking closely now, I see the red and yellow in it.

Right about that moment, my eyes started watering from the smoke, and I began coughing. Good. Maybe I'll die here from asphyxiation. But...is that a too easy way to go? Maybe suffocating is too easy. I need a slow and painful death. Whatever someone thinks of is too good for me. I deserve to have a medieval kind of torture. I heard they used to rip out one lung from your back. Since you still have one, you'll still be alive to feel it. I also deserve the thing Attila the Hun used to do. He used to tie his victims' limbs to four...pigs was it?...and send them in opposite directions so that the victim slowly lost all his limbs. But maybe that's too good for me too. I wonder what kind of torture someone deserves for destroying the world.

Trying to plan my death, my coughing got worse, and I felt like I couldn't breathe. I was beginning to black out, and I wished my death would be more difficult than me just blacking out. I felt myself be lifted up and placed on something soft...Vlad's lap. I was too weak to go back to the smoke. I was still coughing a lot though. Vlad just made shushing noises and stroked my hair. My head was resting on his shoulder.

"What is the matter with you, little badger? Why would you willingly try to suffocate yourself?" Vlad asked. I answered by coughing. Vlad was concerned and probably worried out of his mind. I heard it in his voice.

"Daniel..." He said and pulled me up so he can look into my eyes. He was human at the moment, which is kind of good. His red eyes still scare me. Realizing what I thought, I wished he was Plasmius so he could scare me. I don't deserve to be okay.

"Daniel...please tell me what's gotten into you. You haven't said one word since you woke up, and it seems like you don't want to be comfortable or take care of yourself. Why? Does it have something to do with that ghost?" Vlad asked. I could hear the desperation in his voice. He wanted answers. I just stared at him. I didn't know what to say, so I just shrugged. Vlad furrowed his eyebrows, making him look a little angry.

"That is not an acceptable answer, Daniel. You're sixteen, not five. You will talk in complete sentences and tell me what's wrong." I just stared at the ground this time. I realized I was still in Vlad's lap, so I pushed myself away and stood up to go back to the smoke. "No, Daniel. Come over here. Now." Vlad ordered. I guess he got sick of being nice. Great. Now I have to deal with him angry. Or...do I?

I turned around and looked at him. He stared at me, waiting for me to walk back over there. I sighed and said two words.

"I'm sorry." I said before I transformed into Phantom and flew into the sky as high as I possibly could. I can't take it. I can't deal with the guilt and sadness. The only way to save everyone, to save the world, is for me to perish. But, if I do that, I'll never get to see them again. I wouldn't be able to see Jazz do her first brain surgery, or my parents get rewarded by the government for all their hard work. I wouldn't see Tucker invent the world's best PDA ever. I wouldn't see Sam make meals for everyone that replaces real meat with fake meat that actually tastes good. Then I wouldn't see her and Tucker fight over her invention. And I wouldn't see them make up and hug in the end. I wouldn't ever get to grow up and have a family. See my kids learn how to walk and talk.

No. I wouldn't get any of that. I would get to spend my afterlife in the Ghost Zone, if I even become a full ghost. Maybe I'll just really never see them again.

Tears slipped out of my eyes and down my cheeks. My selfishness got everyone into this mess. I can't let that happen again. I can't be responsible for putting the world in danger. Reaching the height I wanted to be at, I transformed back into Fenton and let myself drop to the earth below.

I tried to memorize my last moments of life. The wind rushing through my hair as I fell head first. The moonlight shining down on my face and the bats that flew around in the sky every now and then. In my mind, I said goodbye to everyone I loved. I even said goodbye to Vlad. I mentally told everyone that this wasn't their fault, but mine. I had to do this to save them. It's the only way. He's free out there, who knows where, causing mayhem. And I am the only one who can stop Him. I think I'm meant to.

Seeing the ground approaching fast, I closed my eyes. This is it. This is when it ends.

"DANIEL!" I heard someone yell my name. I couldn't place the voice though. It sounded familiar, but the tone wasn't what I was used to. It sounded like it was frantic and scared, something I don't relate to this voice. I opened my eyes to see a white form catch me just before I hit the ground. In a daze because I had expected to hit the earth, I looked up to see Vlad, in his ghost form, flying away with me in his arms. He landed on a cliff that overlooked a long stretch of valley. The moon looked huge from here. It was like something out of a painting, where the moon was round and it hung on the horizon silhouetting everyhing against it. I realized Vlad hadn't let me go. He was shaking, and I couldn't figure out why. Was he cold? I couldn't really help with that. My core is cold.

"Danny...why?" He asked. He was panting and out of breath. He sat down, because his knees were shaking and probably weak. Was this the result of him catching me? Was he really that scared? But...why? I'm a monster. There's a demon inside of me that apparently has more than one way to get out. And it already found one. Now the only way to stop it is to destroy where it came from...me. But how could I explain everything to Vlad? He wouldn't understand. He couldn't understand.

'But maybe he has a right to know, since he is part of the demon...' a voice in the back of my mind told me. I looked down at Vlad. He was staring into my eyes, waiting for an answer. I think...I think I owe him one.

"I...I have to kill him. And there's only one way to do that."

"Kill who? And what does harming yourself have to do with you killing this person? You're not making any sense, Daniel!" Vlad yelled. I couldn't figure out if he was angry or worried or frustrated with my lack of detail or anything. I sighed.

"It's a long story." Vlad sighed.

"We have time." He said. He seemed to be calming down from the adrenaline rush I'm sure he was on to save me. So I told him. I told him the story of how Dan had first come to be. How I cheated on my CAT's. How Clockwork had helped. How I had met him ten years into the future and he had helped me as well. I told him how my family and friends were strapped to the Nasty Sauce and it was about to explode. I told him how I had sucked Dan into the thermos and that Clockwork had been keeping track of it. There was a moment of silence before Vlad said anything.

"Why didn't you tell me any of this?" He asked. He sounded like he had trusted me, and I failed at not letting him down, too.

"Because...because I thought you'd use it against me somehow. Since you're part of him, you could scare me by threatening it or something." I admitted. I didn't know if that was the whole truth. After he asked the question, I honestly didn't know why I hadn't told him.

"Daniel, I wouldn't do that. Yes, we have had a checkered past, but I wouldn't have gone to that extreme. I'm sorry. This is partly my fault, as well. I shouldn't have invaded your private thoughts, but I needed-"

"You did what?" I yelled, backing away from Vlad. How could he even do that? Was it an advanced way of overshadowing someone? Or a new ghost power? Is that what Vlad had lied about?

"Danny, you don't understand. You weren't telling me what was wrong, and-"

"So you go into my mind? That's your solution? To get what you want by force? What did you learn when you were in my head? What did you hear?" I yelled. I yelled every sentence, furious that he may know my innermost thoughts. Vlad, of all people, may know everything there is to know about me.

"Nothing. I really didn't hear anything. If you'll let me speak, I'll tell you what happened. But you have to calm down, Daniel." Vlad said, speaking slowly as if to not make me erupt again. He kept eye contact, and without knowing it, I began to calm down. I felt some kind of security in his eyes now. I mean, the man has saved my life a few times now, and, well, who wouldn't feel safe with someone who's done that? I sighed and sat down in Vlad's lap like a little kid. He tensed, obviously surprised, but didn't say antlything. I wrapped my arms around his waist and put my head on his shoulder as if I was getting ready to be carried to bed, but I demanded a bedtime story first. Which I was about to get.

"Yes, I went into your mind. It's a new power that I received about a month ago. It makes it where I can hear someone's thoughts, but have no control over their movements or anything. Quite a humorous story the first time it happened, but I'll tell you that some other time. Right now, I'm sure you want to know what happened in your head." Vlad said, waiting for some response from me. I nodded my head, and he glared at me. "Daniel, I'll let you grab onto me like a small child, but you're still required to talk. Understand?" I nodded, then realizing what I did, laughed.

"Yes, Vlad." I said, smiling. He rolled his eyes and continued talking.

"When I first got in, it was dark, but I think that's normal."

"You think?" I asked. "How much practice have you had with this power?" I asked again, dumbstruck.

"..." Vlad sighed. "I've only done it one other time. It's a very powerful attribute and...it might even scare me some." Vlad admitted. My mouth fell open. Vlad was scared of his own power? I guess I can't blame him. I was terrified of my powers when I first got them. I put all of my focus into flying alone just so I wouldn't fall. It took me forever to work up the guts into actually trying to do something while I flew.

"So, you barely have any practice with it, if any, yet, you used it on me?" I asked, my grip loosening around his waist. My sense of security began to fade.

"I was desperate for answers, Daniel. You weren't giving them to me, and you seemed so troubled. I had to find out what was going on. I swear, I would never do anything if it meant putting your life at risk. It took me a lot of thought just to do it. I had been thinking about it for days. After weighing the pros and cons, I decided it would be best." Vlad said, sincerity in every word. I believed him.

"Okay. So, what happened?" I asked. I began to wonder why I was so cool with what he had done. It was a horrible thing to do, but, I think the relief of finding out he didn't know anything outweighed the fact that he actually did it. And it was with good intentions...I hope.

"When I got in, it was very dark. I'm supposed to be able to see things through your eyes. Were they closed?"

"No. I don't think so." I replied. Vlad seemed to consider that, but didn't comment on it.

"After awhile, I thought I had done something wrong, because I couldn't hear anything. And everyone is always consistently thinking something. You can never not think. After that, I began trying to get out. About a minute into that, I heard a rather odd voice. The voice of that ghost we saw. He laughed, and went in to a very long monologue that I cannot recall at the moment. I think he could see me, although I do not know how. He shoved me out himself, hanging onto me so he could escape as well. You know what happened after that." Vlad finished. I stared at the ground. So Dan is loose because Vlad and I had...become one? How is that possible? When he says become one, does he mean we were, like, one person? That's so weird and creepy to think about.

But none of that matters right now. Right now, we need to find Dan and imprison him again. But how do we hide from the Guys in White at the same time? They know both halves, so it's not like we could just stay human or stay ghost. Why are so many problems arising at once?

"Daniel? What are you thinking?" Vlad asked. "Do you have a plan?"

A plan? Yeah right. Plans are for the organized. I did have a plan to get rid of Him before, but I just can't accept that fate. Not yet. If I have to, I will come back to it. But for now, I want to exhaust every other option before it comes to that. And I think I know where to start.

"Let's go see Clockwork."

**Review review review! I love reviews, and I can't wait to read them on this chapter. It was a lot better, but I had exited out of my notebooks app on my Kindle and when I came back, IT WAS FREAKING GONE! I almost wanted to stop writing, but I knew I had to rewrite it ASAP to remember as much as possible. Hope you guys liked it! Oh, and in case you missed the first three times I said it, I'll say it again: REVIEW! (Laughs innocently)**


	16. Deep As The Ocean

**Thanks for all the support on the WB guys! I think I've gotten over it! (Smiles broadly and gives everyone a huge bear hug) updates are still going to vary, though, because I start school on Tuesday. (Smile wanes to a frown and looks at the ground.) Oh well, sucks being in high school. I'll be out in two years though. Enjoy Vlad losing his mind trying to help Danny! This chapter is really long...**

Vlad's POV

"Clockwork? The time ghost?" I asked. I had heard rumors of this particular ghost's existence, but no one knew for certain if he was real or not. I've personally searched the entirety of the Ghost Zone and have yet to find anything that might suggest he exists. Of course, it seems Daniel has a tendency to stumble onto things I thought were only myths. Like the Infi-Map. While the rest of us are struggling to believe in the existence of the time ghost, Daniel has apparently seen him multiple times. Even befriended the ghost if I understand correctly.

"Yeah. He'll help us get rid of Dan. Maybe not directly, but he'll point us in the right direction." Daniel said, getting excited that he might get to live. The poor boy. If anyone was dying to stop that demon's creation, it would be me. Either way, I felt sad that I'd have to bring the boy out of his happiness high. He's forgetting one step. One crucial step.

"Daniel, we don't have a portal." I told him. "And we don't know where he is."

"No problem. All we have to do is get the Infi-Map from Frostbite in the Far Frozen, and it'll take us to Clockwork!" Daniel said. I sighed.

"Yes, Daniel, you have how we're getting to Clockwork planned out, but not how we're getting to this Frostbite ghost."

"I didn't want to tell you that part." He said, looking at the ground.

"Why?" I asked, afraid of what his answer might be. I had a feeling on what he was going to say, but I didn't want to think he'd really suggest it.

"We need a portal. There's only two places with working, permanent, stable portals." He said, looking up every now and then. He couldn't be serious. What he's suggesting is too dangerous. We'd be flying into a trap.

"No. That's out of the question."

"But Vlad, it's the only-"

"Listen to what you're saying, little badger. You want to go to Wisconsin or you're house, which are both more than likely teeming with federal agents, and find a way to open the portals they have probably sealed shut. They're trying to keep us in this world, because that means they still have a chance to capture us. Going to one of our houses...it's an insane move." I tried to talk some sense into the boy. By the look on his face, I don't think he heard one word.

"You called your mansion a house." Was his comment. I face-palmed myself. He just stood there, smiling. Was that his throwback to my always correcting him when he did it? He finally sighed.

"Vlad, just trust me, okay? I know what I'm doing. If we stay invisible, they won't be able to see us to do anything."

"Like they won't have some special equipment or ghost detectors to remedy that small problem..." I said under my breath. I had gotten used to doing that since no one could ever hear me, but I forgot Daniel could. Curse his ghost hearing.

"Yeah, they'll know we're there, but they won't be able to catch us if they won't be able to see us. Please, Vlad? It's our only chance of fixing everything! Because then, after we deal with Dan, Clockwork could help with the Guys in White, too! I know you don't want to, and you probably think I'm crazy, but you just got to trust me on this one." Daniel pleaded. He was right, I did think he wasn't right in the head. I looked at him, and he had figured out a way to make himself look even more like a child. He made his eyes as wide as he could and was even pouting his bottom lip. The things this boy can do...I gave in.

"Fine, Daniel. But we're setting rules now. You are not to leave my side. Not at all. If I tell you to do something, you do it without complaint. There will be no talking amongst each other when we get in whichever house we're going to. If they know we're there, it will not be because of something we did. Do I make myself clear?" I tried to sound stern, but Daniel was nodding his head vigorously through the whole thing. I'm surprised he wasn't jumping up and down with joy.

"Okay, okay, whatever. I promise this will work." He said. I sighed.

"I think you're underestimating what they are capable of doing, Daniel." I said before he shrugged and changed into his counterpart. He went a few feet off the ground and looked at me.

"Maybe. But if this works, it won't matter. Now, which way do we go?" He said, a huge smile on his face. I sighed. The boy did not think much, did he? This was beginning to work on my nerves that I was trusting him with a plan like this.

"Dear boy, we're following the Mississippi River north. Which way would we go to get to New York or Wisconsin? I said, pinching the bridge of my nose. Did he really need a geography lesson? What do they teach children these days?

"Uh..." I glared at him. He should definitely know this. "What? Don't look at me like that! I'm a D student for a reason, Vlad." I sighed. Yes, I'm sure this plan will work great...

"Which will change when this is all over. I expect nothing but A's from you, little badger. You're bright enough to do it, but you choose not to." I said as I turned to the right and flew east.

"Uh, sorry, but my extracurricular activity tends to take a majority of my time." He said, sounding annoyed that I was lecturing him on his grades. He was flying next to me, glaring as he said what he needed to say.

"Oh, I'm sure it does. Which is why you will be stopping your 'extracurricular activity'. I will make sure of it." I said, waiting for the outburst that was about to come. I wasn't disappointed.

"What? You can't do that! How the hell would you anyway? And why are you getting on me about my grades? I'm not your problem." He said, and it took every ounce of my self-restraint not to face palm myself again. The boy is my problem, whether he cares to admit it or not. He's always been my problem. Before, he was the bane of my existence, though. Now, he's my problem because I'm responsible for his safety and well being. I am responsible for protecting him from the Guys in White, and now this Dan ghost...and himself.

I think Daniel could see the fear in my eyes when I realized what he was doing. I knew he had been acting strange, but I didn't know it was because he was thinking about sui-...I don't want to say it. Saying it means admitting it. The boy was suic-...that word...and probably still is.

I felt a tug in my chest at thinking that my little badger wants to die. I wanted to do everything for him to change his mind. I know what it's like to live day to day wishing it would be your last. Wishing that the sun may set on your time on this corrupt planet. The sadness and despair that goes through your heart every day is unbearable, and seems to never go away. Even in times you know you should be happy, you're not. And it's all Jack Fenton's fault.

He is now responsible for destroying not only my life, but his own son's as well. Daniel doesn't see that. He doesn't think it's his idiotic father's fault. But it is. And as much as I hate to say it, Maddie's too. They are not only ghost hunters, but parents with underage children in the house. They should have banned their children from going into the lab at all, although it seems that the lab is a hangout spot for Daniel and his friends. What happened to Daniel was their fault, and I'm sure when Daniel tells them the truth, because I know he will eventually, they will disown him. They will not see him as their son anymore. They will see him as the elusive ghost boy they've been hunting for so long. They will refuse to admit that it may be their fault.

Daniel will be thrown into a depression knowing his parents don't accept him. His world will crumble under his feet, and he'll fall into a deep dark hole that he can't fly out of. But I'll make sure to catch him before he falls too deep. With no where else to go, Daniel will surely, with no doubt now, come to me. And even though he's made me wait two long years, I will accept him with open arms. The problem is his friends and sister. They have known since the beginning, or in Jasmine's case, close to it, and he will not want to lose contact with them. But they will be suspicious of me and my motives for letting Daniel live with me. They will try everything in their power to convince him to move in with one of them.

But I think I needn't worry. Daniel will defend my case, especially after what has happened the past two weeks.

I glanced over at him. He was still upset that I had lectured him on his grades. I didn't want him to be upset, but I needed to tell him what's to be expected. Especially since he'll be with me until college. I know that Daniel's parents more than likely know the truth. The Guys in White would've done everything in their power to ruin both Daniel and I's lives. When we get to the Fenton's so called house, Daniel will see that.

I saw him roll his eyes, and I couldn't help but wonder why. He was probably thinking I was being controlling and manipulative. He seemed to think things like this. But being sixteen, he doesn't fully understand what manipulative and controlling really means. He sighed in frustration and began talking,

"That's it? You're just going to tell me, a straight D student, that I will suddenly have to start getting straight A's? What do you think you're going to do if I don't? And how will you even know?" He interrogated, waiting for an answer. I sighed and gave my response,

"Daniel, there are plenty of ways for me to find out. One of them, the easiest way, would require a phone call to your father. Since I don't want to do that, I can simply turn invisible and go into your school and hack into the school's files to see your marks. It really isn't that difficult. And as for what I would do? I would punish you for bad grades."

"Punish me? Ha! What do you think you can punish me for? You can't ground me. It's not like I could go home one night without my phone and when my parents ask where it is, I say 'V-man grounded me.'" Daniel said, chuckling and rolling his eyes the whole time he spoke.

"First of all, I wouldn't 'ground' you. You can fly into the air anytime you like. I would put you on restriction. I could invisibly stay in your room until you get your homework done right every night. I will know it is right because I will be the one checking it. I will ward off any ghosts that try to distract you, and might even take it a step further by showing you how to keep ghosts out for good." I said, when a light bulb went off in my head. I stopped flying and Daniel ran right in to me. I caught him before he fell. He floated again, and looked at me quizzically.

"What the hell, Vlad?"

"I am going to train you before we get to your house." I mentally sighed in relief that Daniel would be prepared for what's ahead. He would learn how to block and repel things away from him, since I've noticed that is his biggest problem. He'd much rather take the hit than protect himself, and that is about to stop. I could teach him to hold a duplicate for longer than ten minutes, and solidify his ecto-energy so that he could make weapons with it, like a sword or a shield. I could teach him to bring forth his powers even when he's not in his ghost form. If he masters all of this, I might even teach him to teleport. It would make this trip a lot faster. Sadly, there is nothing I can do about his ice energy. My core is warm and electrical. I do not know how to teach him anything about his ice powers.

"Train me? Here? By the river?" Daniel questioned, and I sighed.

"No, you dolt, we are leaving the Mississippi river and moving to the northeast. To New York. The coast of New York. There is a beach there that no one knows about. That's where we'll go so we won't have to worry about anyone seeing us." I informed.

"It's still going to take awhile to get there..." Daniel said. I sighed. He was right. We didn't have all this time. Knowing what I had to do, I tried not to focused on the repercussions.

"No, it won't." I took a deep breath, preparing myself for what I was about to do. I grabbed Daniel's wrist, and tried to get a strong grip. I let my energy flow over to him until he was glowing pink and red.

"V-Vlad, what are you doing? I feel...tingly." Daniel said, and I honestly didn't know what to tell him. I've never done this before, and I was already afraid he might get hurt. But I had to try. We didn't have all the time in the world to stop that ghost and get to Spain.

"I'm sorry, Danny, but I am going to have to teleport us to New York." I said, beginning to doubt myself. I've never doubted myself before, so why am I now? Oh, the boy. I'm afraid for him.

"Teleport us? You can teleport someone with you?" Daniel asked, sounding skeptical of the outcome.

"I don't know, but I have to try." I said, exchanging my teleporting energy over to Daniel. He stiffened, and I think it's because he's never teleported before, so he's not used to the feeling.

"Are you ready?" I asked him, and he nodded.

"Go for it." With that, I teleported us and prayed no one would be hurt. It was the first time I've prayed since my childhood.

The pink energy enveloped us both and swirled around, sending us to the desired location.

Teleportation works in scientific ways. What it is actually doing is breaking down your molecules and sending them to where you wish to go, then literally rebuilding your body from the ground up, replacing your molecules in the correct spots. One misplaced molecule could lead to a chain of misplaced molecules that could lead to death. Or, if it's something small, can cause you to get diseases like cancer or other illnesses that doctors consider genetic.

There are no cures for genetic diseases. They are like viruses; incurable and everlasting. There are treatments, but those can only help so much. Scientists still haven't found the cure for the common cold yet, and that's more frequent than genetic diseases, so they are not high on their list.

Knowing all of this, I can only hope that Daniel's and my molecules are put back properly, not being mixed up or anything. I do not know if it is even possible for that to happen, but I know that in the world of science, almost nothing is impossible. Daniel's and my existence proves that fact. The body will do supernormal things to stay alive, including what Daniel's and mine did.

They knew they were dying. Not wanting to accept that fate, they improvised. Our bodies killed off half of themselves to save the other half. But you can't live with half an alive body, so they had to replace the dead half with something feasible. What else would the dead half have turned into but a ghost? Ectoplasm made its way through our bloodstreams and into our DNA, creating us. Halfas. I hate Jack for ruining my chance at Maddie, but I got what I have today because of my powers. Because of him. I want to kill him and thank him at the same time. Two very contradicting emotions and very conflicting for one to decipher which they want more. Somehow I don't think thanking him as I have my hands around his fat neck would mean the same.

I felt a jolt and a bright flash of light shone before me. Blinking my eyes a few times, I looked around to see the beach. It was secluded, trees in a semicircle around it. Looking around, I realized I was lying on the sand, Daniel next to me. He was on his stomach whilst I was sitting. Becoming worried from his lack of movement, I reached out a hand to shake him awake. No one would imagine my surprise when Daniel's hand flew up to grip my wrist. I jumped and tried to pull my hand back, but my little badger is stronger than I thought. Daniel's shoulders were shaking, and he lifted his head up out of the sand to show his wide smile and closed eyes. He was laughing.

"Dan-"

"Oh, man, did I get you or what?" Daniel said, continuing his laughter. I glared at him. At least I tried to. The look I gave him was the result of a glare and a smirk combined together. I got out of his grasp and stood up to shake off the sand and try to retain whatever dignity I may have left.

"I wish you could see your face right now." Daniel said as he stood up to shake the sand off as well. " I didn't know I could worry you so easily." He said smiling. I rolled my eyes.

"Only for you, Daniel." I said. "Only for you." I sighed the last part, saying it to myself. Giving him a glance over, I decided Daniel seemed to be in perfect health. Well, at least whatever his health was before the teleportation. There doesn't appear to be any side effects as of yet. I will have to keep a close eye on him as I begin the training. The side effects could be anything from a simple muscle twitch every now and then to him randomly combusting. Let's hope, if there are any effects, that it is not the latter.

Daniel ran a hand through his white hair trying to detangle it. Catching a tight knot and pulling only to cause himself pain, he gave up and proceeded to go to the water. At this, I got confused as to what his motives were for doing this. Wetting it wouldn't help. So...what was the dear boy planning?

"What are you doing, Danny?" I asked. He stood at the water's edge and transformed into his human counterpart. He took off his shoes, socks, and shirt and went into the water ankle deep.

"What's it look like? I'm gonna take a bath. I can't imagine how we must smell." He commented before wading in to about his waist. Seemingly used to the chill of the water, he dove in head first. I couldn't help but agree with him. And although it's sad to say, especially for a man like me where hygiene is everything, it is not the root of my anxiety at the moment. While Daniel was busy attempting the impossible task of getting clean with no soap in salt water, I kept myself busy by sitting down on the beach and thinking about my biggest worry. Daniel's mental health and stability.

He has tried 'it' once, it is entirely possible he will try 'it' again. What if I'm not there to save him next time? I had told the truth when I said I hadn't learnt anything about what Daniel is going through when I was in his mind. All I saw was darkness...Could that mean something? Do I need to look more into it than I have? I wrote it off, summarizing that his eyes were closed or I did something wrong. But what if I didn't? What if the blackness I saw symbolized something? What if it meant that Daniel was, or is, suffering from some sort of emotional trauma, and because of this, the darkness acted as some sort of mental barrier, blocking me from hearing any thoughts? Could that be what happened? Or am I losing my mind?

I shook my head, scrambling thoughts around my brain. I don't know enough about the power to assume anything. Assumptions have led me down the wrong path before. I won't let it happen again.

Sighing, I stood up and changed into my human half. Following Daniel's example, I took off my socks, shoes, and shirt to go for a swim. If I didn't know I smelled so bad, I would've laughed at myself for allowing my OCD for hygiene to kick in. Not worrying about the temperature of the water, I flew into the air over it. I let myself fall in, taking in the sudden feeling of weightlessness even though I wasn't flying anymore. I remembered how much I used to love swimming to get that feeling. Now, it means nothing. I can fly anytime I please. I swam to the top, breathing in precious air I didn't know I needed.

"Hey Vlad, I knew you'd come in eventually. You care too much about appearance to not have." Daniel greeted, floating on his back past me. His eyes were closed and he seemed to be in a state of tranquility. I turned around to say something smart back at him when I saw a wave that was bigger than the others go right over top of him. Jumping over it, I looked in the water to see his head pop out. I laughed.

"That's Poseidon telling you to not joke." I told him between breaths. He glared at me and rolled his eyes. Swimming over to me, he stood up and splashed me with water.

"And that's me telling you to shut up." He said. I laughed again. "It's not my fault you care so much about how you look." He finished. I rolled my eyes. Remembering a comment I had made a while back, I decided to bring it into play once again.

"What's it you kids say these days? Don't hate, appreciate? Oh, what do I care? Go ahead and hate." I said, smiling. I knew Daniel would remember. It would be tough not to when I had just slammed him into a car and won the mayoral election when I had said it. He smirked at me and splashed me again.

"Whatever, fruitloop." He got out of the water and I followed. We lied in the sand, completely defeating the purpose of going in the water, letting the moon ray beams wash over us. After about five minutes of content silence, Daniel spoke,

"You know, I've always wanted to go into space. I did once. I was fighting Technus. He had made it to some important satellite and was using it to control the world's electricity and stuff. Anyway, when I did, I noticed that the stars, which were supposed to be closer since I was in space, were still out of reach. I thought that once I got into space, I would be among the stars, but I wasn't. If anything, they were still far away. It told me that even when you reach your goal, which was, at the time, going into space, there's still a lot more you have to do to make it to the top. You got to keep going, keep trying, no matter what." Daniel finished his monologue...or so I thought.

"You know that old saying, 'shoot for the moon and if you miss you'll land among the stars'? Well, what happens if the stars aren't exactly what you thought they'd be? What if the moon was better?" He asked. I didn't know if these were rhetorical questions or not. I also didn't know why he was suddenly being so deep and metaphorical. It's very unlike him. Thinking about his question, I decided on an answer that would fit.

"Sometimes the first thing you want is best, because then you work hard for it. It comes with a price, however. You begin to look into the thing you want, whether it be money, friends, family, or love. You evaluate your situation and begin to realize how much of it you have gone without. You then try desperately to get the thing you've gone without. But in doing so, you lose it more, because you then demand things of people that they are just simply not capable of giving. The thing you want from people would be the moon. Once you have isolated yourself because you believe no one understands you, you attempt to fill the hole in your heart with other things to replace that one main thing you originally wanted. Those other things are the stars. Yes, the stars fill the normally dark, empty space with some sort of light, but it will never really do. So, yes, you're right. Sticking with the moon and only reaching for it to a point is best, because the stars  
will not give you what you truly need." There was silence after what I said. We both lied on the sand, listening to the waves crash on the shore. It was a rhythmic sound, one that would put even Pariah Dark to sleep.

"So, if I understand correctly, you're saying that I should stick with my dream of going into space and becoming an astronaut without thinking too much into the whole 'stars are unreachable even there' thing, because then I'll just be thinking too deeply into everything?" Daniel asked. I looked over at him and smiled. I knew he was smart. I never doubted that for a second. Daniel smiled back at me. "I think I can do that." He said, looking back up toward the night sky.

"I know you can, little badger. Get some rest. I will not go easy training you tomorrow."

"And I'll make sure to show as much attitude as possible every time you tell me to do something." We both chuckled, and I let my eyes become heavy and close, hoping Daniel's had done the same.

"G'night, Vlad."

"Goodnight, Daniel."

With that, we drifted off, letting our dreams take control of our minds for as long as possible before we were thrust back into reality and the day ahead.****

Ah, fluff. I love it. And I hope you guys do too. Vlad and Danny bondage is awesome. This chapter came out really long. Review!


	17. Training's A Beach

Danny's POV

There it was again. The uncanning white room. I wasn't scared though. Somewhere deep inside me, I knew this was just a dream, and whatever the voice was couldn't actually hurt me. It could only threaten me, and there's no real harm in that.

I pulled myself off the floor where I had been lying on my stomach. Standing up, I looked around. Yes, this was definitely the room. It was still eerie. It looked like a very sterile hospital room, only without windows, doors, machines, beds, and a tiled floor. It was just a blank room.

I found it odd that the voice hadn't spoken yet. Usually it was ecstatic to scare the crud out of me, but now, nothing. It was still here, I knew that much. Why else would I be brought here? Wondering what course of action to take, there was only one thing I could think to do. I walked over to the center of the room, energy glowing around my fists just in case. Still nothing.

"Where are you?" I asked the silence. I felt stupid afterwards, like I was talking to myself. But I knew I wasn't. It was here, I can feel it. Beginning to get angry, I used the energy I had been charging to shoot a few walls.

"C'mon! We don't have all night! I got plans tomorrow, you know. Some actual sleep would be great. So can we just get this over with?" I screamed. Panting, I heard a deep laugh echo through the room. I gulped and backed up to the wall. My pulse quickened and goosebumps rose on my skin. This wasn't the usual voice. It was deeper, much deeper, and three times as terrifying.

"Oh, what's the matter, Mr. Phantom, aka Fenton? Scared?" It asked, mocking my fear and playing with it like it was some ball. I flashed my eyes green. I wouldn't let it lead the conversation this time. I want answers. Lots of them, and it is going to provide them. I'll make it. I let my anger and frustration get the best of me when I finally addressed the voice.

"What is this place?" I yelled, not caring if I did or not. This thing deserved so much worse than be yelled at. As if things couldn't get worse, it laughed at my question, patronizing me.

"Typical teenage angst, hmm, Danny? You see, you are being swept away by your emotions, which are very easy to use against you. We do believe that some technology obsessed ghost did it to you once with your attraction to some girl. What makes you believe we will tell you all the answers you wish to seek?"

"If you don't, I'll...I'll..." I couldn't think of anything. What would I do? Hit the disembodied voice? Track it down and hit the person behind it? I'm stuck in a room inside my dreams, how are either one of those things possible? No, I couldn't hurt it. There really was no way I could force it to give me the answers I desperately wanted.

I sighed in defeat. It was right. I couldn't do anything.

"That's what we thought." I got angry that it knew it had won. There had to be some way that I could knock the smugness out of its voice...but how? This room gives me no clues as to where it is...unless...unless the room itself was a clue.

"Time's up, Danny." The voice said quickly, and if I'm right, a little panicked. I was pulled into a normal dream. But not completely. I was in one of those states where you're dreaming, but your completely conscious of what's going on. I knew that the sudden closure to the meeting with the voice meant that I had been onto something. What was it though? How was the room a clue to what was going on? Did it symbolize something? Was it real?

I opened my eyes to the sun rising over the trees. The sky was an orange-pink color. I had to admit, it looked kind of pretty. I had never seen the sunrise at the ocean before. This still counted even though there were trees all around us. I've never seen a beach like this. It wasn't very big, not like you would imagine a normal beach to look like. No, it was just a small alcove kind of thing, evergreen trees in a horseshoe shape around it. I wouldn't mind building some kind of beach house here. This place was pretty cool.

I stood up and brushed the sand off my back and sides. I went over to where I had taken my shirt off and picked it up out of the sand. Shaking it a few times to get the sand out, I put it back on and proceeded to do the same with my socks and shoes. I looked over at Vlad and decided that the earlier we start training, the better. That way, we'd have more time to get to my house and get to the portal.

My house. My family.

I lifted my head to the sunrising sky and tried not to let the tears fall. I can only imagine what the Guys in White have done to my family. I need to stop fooling myself. They more than likely know my secret by now. For some reason, it didn't make me feel as horrible anymore. They've had plenty of time to think it over before seeing me, which means that they might be okay with it. They might accept me just the way I am, just like the Reality Guantlet showed me they would.

A thought crossed my mind at that second. Smiling and getting excited, I let my hopes take wing. I could save them. I could save them when we get to my house! If they didn't accept me before, they will when I save their lives! Then Vlad and I can take them to Spain and they'd be safe too!

With new determination, I went over to Vlad and changed into Phantom. I used my ice powers to make it snow on his right side, since he was laying on his left. Vlad kind of brushed the snow off in his sleep, so I decided to get more clever. Well, it wasn't really clever, but it worked nonetheless. I made it snow on his head, and of course, it worked. Gasping from the sudden chill, Vlad quickly got into a sitting position, his legs in front of him and his hands behind him, holding him up. Realizing what I had done, his shocked expression turned into a smirk.

"Good morning, sunshine!" I said, a huge smile on my face as I walked to the other side of him. I had noticed a slight pink glow around his right hand.

"You do realize this no longer means we're even, right?" Vlad stated, probably already planning his revenge. I laughed and smiled.

"Bring it, old man." He rolled his eyes and brushed the sand off of his arms and back. He stood up to brush the rest off his pants and out of his hair. He looked around the beach and saw his shirt, socks, and shoes lying in the sand. I flew to the water as he got redressed. Dunking my head in, I pulled it out and finger-combed my wet hair. It was the best I could do.

I saw the black rings around Vlad's waist expand to change him into Plasmius. I flew over to him, pretending to stretch out my arms and legs like this was going to be a work out regimen. Vlad saw what I was doing and rolled his eyes.

"Best if you warmed up a different way, Daniel. Here," Vlad said as he made a lot of energy glow around his fists. He brought his hands together and pulled them apart, solidifying the ectoplasm-how'd he do that?- and shooting them a distance away. They stood in the sand like multiple pink, glass targets.

"Target practice. I expect perfect aim, Daniel. You should know how to do this." Vlad said, and stepped back behind me. I nodded, not worrying at all. This was going to be a snap.

Taking a step forward, I charged a blast in my hand and shot, barely even focusing on the target. I blew on my hand like it was a gun and turned around to face Vlad, not concerned about what the blast would hit. I knew it'd be perfect. Vlad raised an eyebrow at me and smirked.

"Congratulations, Daniel. I thought that tree was ugly too."

"What?" I turned back around to see a giant green scorch mark on the tree, ectoplasm dripping down from the bark. The target next to it was unscathed.

"But...but..." I said, not knowing what else to say to hide my embarrassment. I tried to find a way to blame Vlad. He had obviously done something to mess with me! "You moved the target! Or...or it hit the target but bounced off hitting the tree. There's no way-"

"Danny..." Vlad pinched the bridge of his nose, "you know what happened. You got cocky and tried to show off. Learning to control your powers takes complete concentration, even during the most simplest of tasks. Now, try again, and this time, focus on what you're doing." There was nothing I could do but sigh and nod my head.

Turning back around to face the trees and the targets, I charged another blast around my hand. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. Opening them back up again, I focused on the center of the target. Moving my hands together, I decided to charge a blast between them instead of around. The result was a ball of green energy swirling in my hands. Looking back at the target, I shot and watched where it went this time.

The shot hit the target dead in the center, and I punched the air. I noticed the target didn't disappear. It stayed in its place. I guessed that that meant they were capable of taking multiple attacks before diminishing into a pile of pink goo.

"Yes." I said under my breath. I don't know why I got so excited about shooting the target in the center. That's really easy to do, hell, a three year old can do it. But for some reason, I felt accomplished, like I had already learnt something new. Maybe I had.

"You see what happens when you concentrate? Do it again, but this time, shoot with your eyes." Vlad instructed. I paused.

"Vlad, I don't know how to do that. I can shoot ice out of my eyes, but not ectoplasm." Vlad seemed to think about this before his eyes glowed pink. It seemed like fire was coming out of them, making me a little afraid. He lasered one of the targets with his eyes. He was probably tying to figure out how to tell me what to do.

"Flash your eyes, Daniel. Let the 'scary eyes' come forth. That pressure you feel behind them is the attack waiting to be used. Focus on it, let it build, and when you think you can, shoot." Vlad told me, and I nodded once again. Looking toward the three standing targets, I tried to flash my eyes green even though they were already like that. Feeling something behind my eyes, I tried to focus on it. But when I tried too hard, it would go away. It was getting irritating, trying to focus and bring forth the attack only to have it fade away. It was like studying for three hours the night before a big test, but when you sit down to actually take it, your mind goes blank. I groaned.

"Ahh! Vlad, this isn't working! It just keeps going away!" I closed my eyes and clenched my fists in frustration.

"Calm down, Daniel. Yes, training can be very irritating, but giving up and throwing a fit won't help anything. Now take a deep breath and try again." Vlad trying to calm me down reminded me of the time I had to stay with him while Sam and Tucker went to get Vortex back. I had somehow managed to gain the ability to tie my emotions to the weather, and Vortex was the only one who could undo it. I smiled at the memory of Vlad running from a tornado I had sent at him for at least the third time that day. I had lost count.

Smiling and giggling now, I took a deep breath and tried to bring forth the pressure behind my eyes. I closed them, hoping it would help. All it did was burn my eyes and eyelids, instinct forcing me to immediately open them again. I looked over at Vlad for some reinforcement. He stood next to me with his arms crossed. He nodded, giving me the Ok to go, and I tried again.

I opened my eyes wide, focusing on the power. I did my best not to blink, afraid that would mess me up somehow. I found myself clenching my fists and teeth trying to activate this power. If it didn't do anything soon, I was sure I would chip a tooth.

My vision began to blur into a bright light of green and white. I didn't know if that was from my not blinking or the power, but I didn't want to stop and have it be the power, because then it would fade away. Using all of my might, I saw something, I think it was light, shoot out of my eyes at the target. The target was hit in the center, and I couldn't help but cheer.

"Yes! I did it!" I declared, overjoyed. I had that feeling that you get on the last day of school for the summer. Excitement and anticipation for what comes next. I turned around to Vlad and hugged his waist very quickly before pulling back and trying to get a hold of my happiness.

"What next?" I asked, close to jumping up and down. After getting over the shock of the hug that probably moved his stomach to his throat because of how unnaturally tight it was, Vlad smiled.

"I knew you could, little badger. Now I want you to create a single duplicate and send it out to a ten mile radius of the area. Let it explore."

"Ten miles? Vlad! I can't do one!" I said, disbelief showing in my voice and all over my face. My happiness high quickly eroded away, leaving doubt in its place. He couldn't be serious! There was no way I could do that. Vlad hadn't responded to what I said, which I found more than strange. We were both stubborn to no end when it came to having the last word. Worry creeping up on me, I started to investigate.

"Vlad, what's wro-"

"Shh." He silenced, looking around suspiciously. He looked as if he was listening for something unintelligible. I looked around, listening and wondering what he had heard. Mentally panicking, I wondered if it was the Guys in White. How did they find us so quickly? I mean, yeah, we left Operative O alone in the forest with no way to get back, but we had teleported to a new state entirely! We pretty much went across the country teleporting! A thought striking me, I began to wonder if maybe it wasn't them, but someone far worse.

Fear overpowering every other emotion I had at the moment, I tried to get an answer out of Vlad.

"What is it? Is it a ghost?" I asked, anxiety in my voice. If he said yes, it would only confirm what I already thought.

"I don't know. You'll have to investigate, Daniel." He said, not even batting an eye.

"What? Me? Why?" I asked stupidly, not knowing what else to say.

"Because I'm still very weak from teleporting two people about a thousand miles. I've never even gone that far by myself. I don't want you to go, though, Daniel. I want you to send a duplicate. It's safer that way." Vlad said. I had to admit, he was making a lot of sense. What he did probably took a tremendous amount of power. I would probably still be unconscious from lack of energy right now if I did that.

"Okay. I'll try." I said, focusing hard on forming a very strong duplicate. Feeling something pull away from my body, I opened my eyes-I hadn't known they were closed...- and saw the duplicate staring at me, waiting to receive telepathic orders. I gave them to him, and he...it...flew into the air to scour the area for any intruders. I sat on the sand, patting it to nonverbally tell Vlad to sit, too. He did. Five minutes passed in silence, both of us staring at the water. Five minutes of worrying about the unknown, wondering if today would be my last. Five minutes of waiting for any feeling that my duplicate was in trouble or if it telepathically told me it found something. It hadn't...yet.

After ten minutes, I looked over at Vlad to see if he was still acting strange. He wasn't. In fact, he was smiling. I recognized that smile. It was one I haven't seen in awhile...since he turned my bed intangible at the hotel. It was his 'I just won' smile.

"Vlad?" I questioned his sanity. Is he old enough to get senile? Or Alzheimer's? I don't think so. He's like, forty. Early onset Alzheimer's, maybe?

"I told you you could do it." Was all he said. He continued to stare at the waves as they crashed on the shore. He was still smiling, and I stared at him with wide eyes.

"What are you talking about?" I asked, wondering if he really was getting sick.

"The duplicate. It's been about ten or eleven minutes now, and he's still out there somewhere. Maybe even further than ten miles. Good job, little badger." I stared at Vlad in disbelief.

"You mean...this has all been a trick?" I asked, not knowing whether I was angry or amused. Angry because he had pretty much given me a heart attack. Amused because, well, what can I expect from him? He had made his point. I can do anything with my powers that he tells me to do if I put my mind to it. The only way to get me to admit that was to scare me. Vlad looked at me and nodded.

"Touché, Masters." I said, feeling the duplicate reabsorb into my body. Getting a headache from all of its memories bombarding my memory at once, I held my head and lied back on the sand.

"Are you all right?" He asked, giving my whole body a once-over glance to make sure I hadn't spontaneously acquired any random broken bones or had grown an extra limb. I smiled at my sarcastic thoughts, then immediately clutched my head again because of the sudden stabbing feeling I got from smiling. Can't I just be okay for one minute?

"I don't know. My head hurts really bad." I told him, wondering if he could help. He got an alarmed expression for a millisecond, then immediately pulled it back into his trademark smirk.

"Stay lying down. It's from the duplicate being reabsorbed back into you. Your mind must adjust to all of the new memories and information. Just relax." Vlad said. I nodded, already feeling better.

After about five minutes listening to the waves, I sat up and looked at Vlad.

"I think I'm ready for more. Anything else? Maybe you could show me how you made those targets in the first place. Or even better, how to teleport!" I said, getting excited that I might be able to teleport places. How cool would it be to just teleport from your bed to the bathroom in the morning without fully waking up? I'd definitely abuse that power.

"Calm down, dear boy. I'm afraid you are not ready for teleportation. I will show you how to solidify your ectoenergy, however. And how to protect yourself." Vlad said, standing up and offering me a hand. Accepting the help, I stood up and tried to convince him that I was definitely ready for teleporting.

"But I'm totally ready for teleporting! I did the duplicate thing, didn't I? You proved it yourself. I can do anything I put my mind to. Well, if I really put my mind to it, I can teleport, right?" I pleaded, hoping he'd cave. Vlad sighed.

"Not teleportation. That takes more than just mental capacity. No, I'm afraid we'll be flying out of here...after I show you how to protect yourself, of course." Sighing, I had no choice but to agree with Vlad. What else could I do? Besides...I think I trust him now. If he doesn't think I'm ready for something, then I'm not.

"Okay, Vlad. What do you want me to do?" I said, sounding defeated. Vlad looked sad for a second at my tone, but he then ignored it and told me what he wanted from me.

"Stand over by the targets. I am going to fire multiple blasts at you, and I want to to dodge every one without being hit. Understand?" Vlad asked, and I nodded, excitement flowing through me. This sounded fun. It would be like a game of dodge ball, which, like I had told those stupid vultures, I'm amazing at. I walked over by the targets and tapped one with my knuckle, wondering if it really was like glass. The pinging sound it made told me it was.

"No problem. What's this supposed to teach me?" I asked, the question suddenly popping into my head.

"How to not have the same quick-thinking ability as your father." Vlad said sarcastically before charging a shot around his fists. I glared at him, trying to think of something smart to say back, but didn't have time. Three pink ectoshots flew toward me, and I was debating what to do in my head. I could always put a shield up, but is wasting my energy so early into this really the smart thing to do? I could fly over them or even move to the right or left a little, but that's pretty anticlimatic. Firing back in using my own shots is an option as well, but...again that's using a lot of unnecessary energy.

Trying to think of what to do, I ended up standing still and letting the shots hit me like a fool. Getting thrown into the forest, I collapsed into the fetal position on the ground, clutching my stomach and chest. Vlad was not being easy with those shots. They were meant to hurt if they hit me, and all three did. I shut my eyes, opening them again when I heard footsteps calmly walking toward me. The vampire-like ghost before me was blurry. My eyesight had been affected from the shots.

"Daniel, really, that was worse than your father. What happened?" Vlad asked through my blurry haze. I sat up and put a hand on my head. I honestly didn't know what to tell him. That's never happened to me before. I guess I was trying to show off again and find the perfect way to dodge those shots, but it didn't exactly turn out the way I had planned.

"I, uh, couldn't decide on how to evade the attacks..." I admitted sheepishly. I figured I might as well tell the truth. I mean, there was no other way I could embarrass myself than I already have. Vlad pinched the bridge of his nose and then rubbed the same hand down his face.

"Daniel...this isn't proving to me that you should be going into the fray with me. Maybe it would be best if you hi-"

"No! I'm going! I don't care what you say. You can't keep me out. I'm not going to hide while you take care of all the guards. I promise I'll do better. I just wasn't focusing, okay?" I said, angry that Vlad would suggest me not going into my own house.

"Your short attention span will be the death of you, little badger. I don't want-" Vlad looked angry when I interrupted him for the second time in under three minutes.

"I'm fine. Really. C'mon, let's do this again." I said, trying not to show my pain when I stood up. Vlad raised an eyebrow at how slow I was moving.

"Daniel..."

"C'mon!" I yelled, shooing him away from me so he would be further away when he charged the shots. Vlad sighed and walked over to the shoreline before charging the blasts. I got in my battle stance, ready for anything he could throw at me. If I screwed up again, I know Vlad won't let me go with him. I don't know how he would stop me, but I'm not putting anything past him.

I narrowed my eyes, preparing for the worst. I knew what Vlad was capable of. I knew he'd use everything he had against me to make sure I was ready. Let's just hope I am prepared for what he was going to do...

In an instant, the one Vlad that had been charging his fists by the shore had multiplied into five, promising me a challenge. Well...shit.

All five Vlads started to do different things. One had fire coming from his eyes, telling me that he was about to shoot from them. One had both fists charged with energy while another had solidified his energy into a sword. The last two's fists were charged with electrical energy.

One Vlad began talking, and I assumed it was the original.

"Let me know when you're ready, Danny." He said, smirking. I let my fists glow with my own attacks and spoke.

"Bring it on, Vlad. I got this." I said, trying to sound cocky to cover up my fear. Vlad raised an eyebrow and smiled before ordering the duplicates into formation around me.

"Here's what's going to happen, dear boy. My duplicates and I will fire at you at various times, sometimes at the same time. Do not worry about firing back. This is about protecting yourself." Vlad preached. I rolled my eyes.

"Whatever. Let's do this." I said, using one hand to punch the other. I was ready. Vlad and his duplicates flew into the air. I tried to keep my eye on the original, but I quickly lost track when one of the duplicates, the one with electricity, shot at me. Quickly flying into the air, I shot at it to get rid of one. It dodged the attack while another Vlad flew in front of it to shoot me from its eyes. I turned intangible and tried to shoot at that one, only to have my attack be in vain once again.

My ghost sense told me about a Vlad floating behind me, and I turned around just in time to dodge the attack from the sword. I was in shock for a second that Vlad would really try to strike me with that thing, but waved it off. This was about training.

I turned invisible and flew away from it, only to run into another Vlad that had been invisible. We both went tumbling toward the ground. When the Vlad hit, it lied there for a second too long, giving me the opportunity to quickly get up and blast it. The duplicate faded away.

Smiling in triumph, I turned my attention back toward the sky to see the remaining four Vlads powering their attacks. One Vlad was higher up than the others, and I knew that was the original. It just so happened that he was the one with the sword.

Glaring at him for overcomplicating things, I flew into the sky. I looked at the one with the sword, ready to protest.

"Vlad, don't you think this is getting ridiculous? I mean, where are the Guys in White going to get an ectoplasmic sword?" I asked, ignoring the grin that he gave in return.

"You must be ready for anything Daniel, including the duplicate behind you." Vlad told me.

"Huh?" I said as I turned around. One of the duplicates floated behind me, not wasting a moment to punch me with a charged up fist. I flew back toward the sand, landing harder than I had expected. Wasn't sand supposed to be soft? The pink glow radiating from my chest told me he had put some power behind the punch. I got back up and flew into the air, not ready to go down.

The original Vlad smiled at my stubbornness as another duplicate came at me. I rolled my eyes at it.

"I so don't have time for this." I commented as I sucked in a breath of air and screamed. It wasn't a normal scream though, I was using my Ghostly Wail to take care of the duplicates. I turned in three different directions when I did it, all of which were geared toward the duplicates. Falling about thirty feet to the sand, I collapsed and tried to get my bearings. My eyes were closed, but my ghost sense told me Vlad had landed next to me.

"Daniel, what was that attack? I've never seen it before..." Vlad asked in awe. I smiled at being able to impress him.

**"**It's my Ghostly Wail, and you have seen it before, you just probably don't remember. I used it against you when I went to take down your creepy clone lab." I said, not missing the chance to joke him. Vlad didn't even bat an eyelash at my joke. Instead, he helped me to my feet.

"I think I would remember an attack as powerful as that. Are you out of power?" Vlad asked, and I had to use him to brace myself on.

"Yeah, but I'll be fine in about an hour. So...can I go? Can we do this now?" I hesitantly asked. Vlad sighed as he helped me sit down near the water's edge.

"I suppose you've shown you can handle yourself. Let's just hope you don't get distracted..." Vlad had said the last part under his breath, but I had heard. He tended to do that a lot, forgetting I could hear him loud and clear. I guess he's just accustomed to saying what he wants like that and not being confronted on it since no one hears him.

"I won't, I promise." I said as Vlad sat down next to me.

"Promising is childish, Daniel. Just because you promise something won't make it true or any more real." Vlad said, looking out into the water. We sat and watched a pack of dolphins jumped in front of us. One waved its flipper in the air, almost like it was waving. I thought about what Vlad had said. I didn't agree with him. Promising can mean so much when it comes from someone who follows through with their promises, not just someone who takes the word for granted like he does. Sam taught me that two years ago...

I miss her. I wonder how she's doing, if she knows what's going on. I wonder if she's trying to help by distracting the Guys in White as best she can, or if she's been captured with my parents. And if she is, is Tucker and Jazz there, too?

At that moment, I promised myself I'd save them all, and Vlad can suck it if he thinks he's going to change my mind about promises. I had also promised not to turn into Him, and, technically, I had followed through with it. I was still good, and still had my ghost half and so did Vlad, so He wasn't really me and Vlad. He was just His own person now. I don't know if that's good or bad.

I shook my head and ran a hand through my extremely tangled white hair. I don't want to think about it. Everything will be okay as soon as we get to Clockwork. Standing up, I looked down at Vlad.

"Let's go. I want to go kick some tail and find Clockwork as soon as possible." I flew a few feet off the ground. Vlad chuckled.

"As you wish, Daniel." He said as he stood up and flew into the air. I followed him and nodded at him when I caught up. We took off, away from our secluded beach and our paradise. I didn't care though. We could always come back some other time. Right now, I could only think about my friends and family. By tomorrow morning, I'd see them again for the first time in two weeks.

**So...sorry for the long wait? I've been really busy, so whatever you guys think is an appropriate punishment for my lack of updating, well, you can settle that amongst yourselves. *hides in corner with baby blanket over head* Anyway, review! And don't worry. Next chapter...Danny gets to see his family again. Should his parents accept him? Should they know at all? Let me know what you guys think will happen. I've already got it figured out, though. Hope you guys liked my clever title, too. :)**


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